Genesis 27:4

27:4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then ¹  I will eat it so that I may bless you ²  before I die.”

Genesis 27:19

27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up ³  and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” ⁴ 

Genesis 27:25

27:25 Isaac ⁵  said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. ⁶  Then I will bless you.” ⁷  So Jacob ⁸  brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac ⁹  drank.

Genesis 27:31

27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau ¹⁰  said to him, “My father, get up ¹¹  and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” ¹² 

[27:4]  ¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:4]  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.

[27:19]  ³ tn Heb “get up and sit.” This may mean simply “sit up,” or it may indicate that he was to get up from his couch and sit at a table.

[27:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.” These words, though not reported by Rebekah to Jacob (see v. 7) accurately reflect what Isaac actually said to Esau (see v. 4). Perhaps Jacob knew more than Rebekah realized, but it is more likely that this was an idiom for sincere blessing with which Jacob was familiar. At any rate, his use of the precise wording was a nice, convincing touch.

[27:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “Bring near to me and I will eat of the wild game, my son.” Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[27:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The presence of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as subject emphasizes Isaac’s heartfelt desire to do this. The conjunction indicates that the ritual meal must be first eaten before the formal blessing may be given.

[27:25]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he drank”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:31]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he said to his father”; the referent of “he” (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity, while the words “his father” have been replaced by the pronoun “him” for stylistic reasons.

[27:31]  ¹¹ tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).

[27:31]  ¹² tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”