“Yes, 5 my son smells
like the scent of an open field
which the Lord has blessed.
27:28 May God give you
the dew of the sky 6
and the richness 7 of the earth,
and plenty of grain and new wine.
27:29 May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
You will be 8 lord 9 over your brothers,
and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. 10
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”
49:1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you 11 what will happen to you in the future. 12
49:28 These 13 are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each of them an appropriate blessing. 14
24:50 Then 15 Jesus 16 led them out as far as Bethany, 17 and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 24:51 Now 18 during the blessing 19 he departed 20 and was taken up into heaven. 21
14:27 “Peace I leave with you; 22 my peace I give to you; I do not give it 23 to you as the world does. 24 Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. 25
1 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
2 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The use of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as the subject emphasizes that the blessing will be made with all Isaac’s desire and vitality. The conjunction “so that” closely relates the meal to the blessing, suggesting that this will be a ritual meal in conjunction with the giving of a formal blessing.
3 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “and he smelled the smell”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “see.”
6 tn Heb “and from the dew of the sky.”
7 tn Heb “and from the fatness.”
8 tn Heb “and be.” The verb is an imperative, which is used rhetorically in this oracle of blessing. It is an invitation to exercise authority his brothers and indicates that he is granted such authority by the patriarch of the family. Furthermore, the blessing enables the recipient to accomplish this.
9 tn The Hebrew word is גְבִיר (gevir, “lord, mighty one”). The one being blessed will be stronger and therefore more powerful than his brother. See Gen 25:23. The feminine form of this rare noun means “mistress” or “queen-mother.”
10 tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (which is either an imperfect or a jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
11 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.
12 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.
13 tn Heb “All these.”
14 tn Heb “and he blessed them, each of whom according to his blessing, he blessed them.”
15 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
16 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 sn Bethany was village on the Mount of Olives about 2 mi (3 km) from Jerusalem; see John 11:1, 18.
18 tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
19 tn Grk “while he blessed them.”
20 tn Grk “he departed from them.”
21 tc The reference to the ascension (“and was taken up into heaven”) is lacking in א* D it sys, but it is found in Ì75 and the rest of the ms tradition. The authenticity of the statement here seems to be presupposed in Acts 1:2, for otherwise it is difficult to account for Luke’s reference to the ascension there. For a helpful discussion, see TCGNT 162-63.
22 sn Peace I leave with you. In spite of appearances, this verse does not introduce a new subject (peace). Jesus will use the phrase as a greeting to his disciples after his resurrection (20:19, 21, 26). It is here a reflection of the Hebrew shalom as a farewell. But Jesus says he leaves peace with his disciples. This should probably be understood ultimately in terms of the indwelling of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who has been the topic of the preceding verses. It is his presence, after Jesus has left the disciples and finally returned to the Father, which will remain with them and comfort them.
23 tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
24 tn Grk “not as the world gives do I give to you.”
25 tn Or “distressed or fearful and cowardly.”
26 tn The one Greek term θλῖψις (qliyis) has been translated by an English hendiadys (two terms that combine for one meaning) “trouble and suffering.” For modern English readers “tribulation” is no longer clearly understandable.
27 tn Or “but be courageous.”
28 tn Or “I am victorious over the world,” or “I have overcome the world.”