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 27:7

27:7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare for me some tasty food. Then I will eat 3  it and bless you 4  in the presence of the Lord 5  before I die.’

Genesis 27:9

27:9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare 6  them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them.

Genesis 27:17

27:17 Then she handed 7  the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

Genesis 27:31

27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau 8  said to him, “My father, get up 9  and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” 10 

1 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

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.

3 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

4 tn The cohortative, with the prefixed conjunction, also expresses logical sequence. See vv. 4, 19, 27.

5 tn In her report to Jacob, Rebekah plays down Isaac’s strong desire to bless Esau by leaving out נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”), but by adding the phrase “in the presence of the Lord,” she stresses how serious this matter is.

6 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

7 tn Heb “gave…into the hand of.”

8 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the referent of “he” (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity, while the words “his father” have been replaced by the pronoun “him” for stylistic reasons.

9 tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).

10 tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”