Genesis 14:24

14:24 I will take nothing ¹  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ²  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

Genesis 25:27

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ³  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ⁴ 

Genesis 48:16

48:16 the Angel ⁵  who has protected me ⁶ 

from all harm –

bless these boys.

May my name be named in them, ⁷ 

and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”

[14:24]  ¹ tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:24]  ² tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”

[25:27]  ³ tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ⁴ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”

[48:16]  ⁵ sn The Samaritan Pentateuch reads “king” here, but the traditional reading (“angel”) may be maintained. Jacob closely associates God with an angelic protective presence. This does not mean that Jacob viewed his God as a mere angel, but it does suggest that he was aware of an angelic presence sent by God to protect him. Here he so closely associates the two that they become virtually indistinguishable. In this culture messengers typically carried the authority of the one who sent them and could even be addressed as such. Perhaps Jacob thought that the divine blessing would be mediated through this angelic messenger.

[48:16]  ⁶ tn The verb גָּאַל (ga’al) has the basic idea of “protect” as a near relative might do. It is used for buying someone out of bondage, marrying a deceased brother’s widow, paying off debts, avenging the family, and the like. The meanings of “deliver, protect, avenge” are most fitting when God is the subject (see A. R. Johnson, “The Primary Meaning of √גאל,” Congress Volume: Copenhagen, 1953 [VTSup], 67-77).

[48:16]  ⁷ tn Or “be recalled through them.”