Genesis 27:44-46

27:44 Live with him for a little while ¹  until your brother’s rage subsides. 27:45 Stay there ²  until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. ³  Why should I lose both of you in one day?” ⁴ 

27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed ⁵  because of these daughters of Heth. ⁶  If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” ⁷ 

¹ tn Heb “a few days.” Rebekah probably downplays the length of time Jacob will be gone, perhaps to encourage him and assure him that things will settle down soon. She probably expects Esau’s anger to die down quickly. However, Jacob ends up being gone twenty years and he never sees Rebekah again.

² tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn Heb “and I will send and I will take you from there.” The verb “send” has no object in the Hebrew text; one must be supplied in the translation. Either “someone” or “a message” could be supplied, but since in those times a message would require a messenger, “someone” has been used.

⁴ tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.

⁵ tn Heb “loathe my life.” The Hebrew verb translated “loathe” refers to strong disgust (see Lev 20:23).

⁶ tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (see also Gen 23:3), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.

⁷ tn Heb “If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, why to me life?”