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 27:34

27:34 When Esau heard ³  his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. ⁴  He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!”

Genesis 27:38

27:38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” ⁵  Then Esau wept loudly. ⁶ 

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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 The temporal clause is introduced with the temporal indicator and has the infinitive as its verb.

⁴ tn Heb “and he yelled [with] a great and bitter yell to excess.”

⁵ tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁶ tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”