Genesis 28:1

Context

28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman!¹

Genesis 28:3-4

Context
28:3 May the sovereign God² bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants!³ Then you will become⁴ a large nation.⁵ 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham⁶ so that you may possess the land⁷ God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.”⁸

[28:1] ¹tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:3] ²tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[28:3] ³tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.

[28:3] ⁴tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”

[28:3] ⁵tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”

[28:4] ³tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.

[28:4] ⁴tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[28:4] ⁵tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.