Genesis 27:1

Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing

27:1 When ¹  Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, ²  he called his older ³  son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau ⁴  replied.

Genesis 27:36

27:36 Esau exclaimed, “‘Jacob’ is the right name for him! ⁵  He has tripped me up ⁶  two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!” Then he asked, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”

Genesis 31:33

31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. ⁷  Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. ⁸ 

Genesis 32:20

32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” ⁹  Jacob thought, ¹⁰  “I will first appease him ¹¹  by sending a gift ahead of me. ¹²  After that I will meet him. ¹³  Perhaps he will accept me.” ¹⁴ 

[27:1]  ¹ tn The clause begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making it subordinate to the main clause that follows later in the sentence.

[27:1]  ² tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”

[27:1]  ³ tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).

[27:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:36]  ⁵ tn Heb “Is he not rightly named Jacob?” The rhetorical question, since it expects a positive reply, has been translated as a declarative statement.

[27:36]  ⁶ sn He has tripped me up. When originally given, the name Jacob was a play on the word “heel” (see Gen 25:26). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. Esau gives the name “Jacob” a negative connotation here, the meaning “to trip up; to supplant.”

[31:33]  ⁹ tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:33]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”

[32:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

[32:20]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

[32:20]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

[32:20]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

[32:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “I will see his face.”

[32:20]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.