07-00

God Blesses Jacob

This title can also be translated as: “About how God helped Jacob” or “What did God do to help Jacob?”

07-01

As the boys grew up, Jacob loved to stay at home, but Esau loved to hunt animals

This is background information telling how the boys were different from each other, and that their parents each favored one child over the other. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/writing-background/01.md]])

loved to stay at home…loved to hunt

Some languages will use a word for love here that is different from the one used for, “Rebekah loved Jacob.” For example, this could be translated as: “liked to stay at home…liked to hunt” or “preferred to stay at home…preferred to hunt.”

at home

This expression refers to the area around the family dwellings. Jacob preferred to stay close to the tents where they lived. Some languages have a special expression for at home.

but Esau loved to hunt animals

The connecting word but contrasts Esau’s love of hunting with Jacob’s love of staying home. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast/01.md]])

Rebekah loved Jacob, but Isaac loved Esau

This could be translated as: “Rebekah was more fond of Jacob, and Isaac was more fond of Esau.” This does not necessarily mean that Rebekah and Isaac did not love the other son, but that each parent had a favorite.

but Isaac loved Esau

The connecting word but contrasts Isaac’s love of Esau with Rebekah’s love of Jacob. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast/01.md]])

07-02

Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of the food you have made.”

This is direct quotation. It can also be stated as an indirect quotation: “Esau asked Jacob to give him some of the food that Jacob had made.” (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-quotations/01.md]])

Give me some of the food…you will give it all

Some languages may prefer to use two different words for give here. This would also apply to, “Esau promised to give…Jacob gave” in the last two sentences.

Jacob responded, “First, promise me that everything you should receive because you were born first, you will give it all to me.”

This is direct quotation. It can also be stated as an indirect quotation: “Jacob told Esau to first promise that everything Easu would receive because he was born first, he would give it all to Jacob.” (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-quotations/01.md]])

everything you should receive because you were born first

According to their custom, since Esau was the oldest son, he should have been the one to receive twice as much of their father’s wealth when their father died. Jacob thought of a way to take these rights of the oldest son from Esau.

07-03

give his blessing

It was customary for fathers to formally express their desire for good things to happen to their children. Normally, the older son received the best promise. Isaac wanted this extra prosperity to happen to Esau.

But before he did

The connecting word But here contrasts Isaac’s desire to give Esau a blessing with the Rebekah and Jacob’s trick that intervened, preventing him from doing so. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast/01.md]])

tricked him

The word trick means to do something to deliberately deceive someone. Rebekah came up with a plan to deceive Isaac into giving Jacob the special blessing instead of Esau.

pretend

The word pretend shows how Jacob would deceive his father (who had very poor eyesight in his old age).

So Jacob put on Esau’s clothes and put goatskins on his neck and hands.

The connecting word So here connects the result, Jacob put on Esau’s clothes and goatskin to deceive Isaac, with the reason, Isaac was old and blind. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result/01.md]])

Esau’s clothes

This refers to the clothes that Esau owned. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-possession/01.md]])

goatskins

The hairiness of the goatskins would make Jacob feel like Esau.

07-04

Jacob came to Isaac

In some languages, it might be more natural to say: “Jacob went to Isaac.”

When Isaac felt the goat hair and smelled the clothes, he thought it was Esau and blessed him.

This is a sequential clause. The word When connects Isaac feeling and smelling Jacob with the resulting action (he believed it was Esau and blessed him). (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-time-sequential/01.md]])

he thought it was Esau

He thought that the person he was touching and smelling was Esau.

07-05

because Jacob had stolen his rights as oldest son and also his blessing

The connecting word because connects the reason, Jacob stole Esau’s rights and blessing, with the result, Esau hated Jacob. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result/01.md]])

his rights

This refers to the the extra blessing and inheritance that belonged to Esau because he was the firstborn son. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-possession/01.md]])

rights as oldest son

Jacob found a way to get the larger portion of their father’s wealth that should have gone to Esau as the older son. See also note on 07:02.

his blessing

Jacob also tricked their father into giving him the promise of extra prosperity that Isaac intended to give to Esau. See also note on 07:03.

So he planned to kill Jacob

The connecting word So connects the result, Esau planned to kill Jacob, with the reason, Esau hated Jacob. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result/01.md]])

07-06

But Rebekah heard of Esau’s plan

The connecting word But is used in a contrast relationship. It contrasts Esau’s plan to kill Jacob with Rebekah hearing of it and devising a different plan. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast/01.md]])

Esau’s plan

This refers to the plan that Esau had decided to do. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-possession/01.md]])

Esau’s plan was to kill Jacob after his father died.

So she and Isaac sent Jacob far away

The connecting word So connects the result, Rebekah and Isaac sent Jacob far away, with the reason, Rebekah heard of Esau’s plan to kill Jacob. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result/01.md]])

she and Isaac sent Jacob far away

Rebekah wanted to protect Jacob from Esau, so she talked to Isaac about sending Jacob away.

far away to live with her relatives

This was the same place where Rebekah was living when Abraham’s servant asked her to be Isaac’s wife. To make this clear, you could add: “in the same land where she used to live.” The land was to the east, several hundred miles away.

her relatives

This could also be translated as: “their relatives.” Since Abraham’s brother was Rebekah’s grandfather, her relatives were also Isaac’s relatives.

07-07

Rebekah’s relatives

This refers to a social relationship—these people were related to Rebekah as part of her extended family. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-possession/01.md]])

During that time he married and had 12 sons and a daughter. God made him very wealthy.

This is background information about what happened while Jacob was away. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/writing-background/01.md]])

very wealthy

This included money, large herds of animals and other possessions.

07-08

After 20 years

Jacob had lived for twenty years in the land where his mother was from. If that is not clear you could say: “After twenty years living in the land where his relatives were…” (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-time-background/01.md]])

his family

This refers to a social relationship—the people who were his family, those related to him by birth or marriage. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-possession/01.md]])

all his flocks and herds of animals

This refers to ownership—all the groups of animals that belonged to him. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-possession/01.md]])

herds

A herd is a large group of animals. Use a similar word in your language. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/translate-unknown/01.md]])

07-09

Your servant, Jacob

Jacob was not actually Esau’s servant. But Jacob told his servants to say this because he wanted to show Esau that he was coming to him humbly and respectfully, so that Esau would no longer be angry with him.

07-10

But Esau no longer wanted to harm Jacob

The connecting word But here contrasts Jacob’s fear of Esau wanting to kill him with Esau no longer wanting to harm Jacob. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast/01.md]])

Instead, he was very happy to see him again

The connecting word Instead contrasts Jacob’s fear of Esau wanting to kill him with Esau being happy to see Jacob. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast/01.md]])

lived peacefully

This refers to the fact that Esau and Jacob were not angry at each other and did not fight with each other.

Then Isaac died

The connecting word Then connects the timing of events. Jacob’s return to Canaan and living there were followed by Isaac’s death and Jacob and Esau burying him together. (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/grammar-connect-time-sequential/01.md]])

buried him

This could mean that they dug a hole in the ground, placed Isaac’s body in it, and covered the hole with dirt or stones. Or it could mean that they placed Isaac’s body in a cave and covered the opening.

The covenant promises

These were the promises that God made in his covenant with Abraham.

passed on from Isaac to Jacob

The promises went from Abraham to his son Isaac, and now to Isaac’s son Jacob. Esau did not receive the promises (See: 06:04).

A Bible story from

These references may be slightly different in some Bible translations.