Kejadian 27:25

27:25 Isaac ¹  said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. ²  Then I will bless you.” ³  So Jacob ⁴  brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac ⁵  drank.

Kejadian 27:31

27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau ⁶  said to him, “My father, get up ⁷  and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” ⁸ 

Kejadian 38:29

38:29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. ⁹  She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” ¹⁰  So he was named Perez. ¹¹ 

[27:25]  ¹ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

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

[27:31]  ⁶ 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the referent of “he” (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity, while the words “his father” have been replaced by the pronoun “him” for stylistic reasons.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]  ⁷ tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).

[27:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”

[38:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “Look, his brother came out.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through the midwife’s eyes. The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “How you have made a breach for yourself!” The Hebrew verb translated “make a breach” frequently occurs, as here, with a cognate accusative. The event provided the meaningful name Perez, “he who breaks through.”

[38:29]  ¹¹ sn The name Perez means “he who breaks through,” referring to Perez reaching out his hand at birth before his brother was born. The naming signified the completion of Tamar’s struggle and also depicted the destiny of the tribe of Perez who later became dominant (Gen 46:12 and Num 26:20). Judah and his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they could thwart God’s plan that the elder brothers should serve the younger. God demonstrated that principle through these births in Judah’s own family, affirming that the elder will serve the younger, and that Joseph’s leadership could not so easily be set aside. See J. Goldin, “The Youngest Son; or, Where Does Genesis 38 Belong?” JBL 96 (1977): 27-44.