1.3 KiB
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 intervening Rebekah and Jacob’s trick that prevented him from doing so. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-connecting word)
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: rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-connecting word)
Esau’s clothes
This refers to the clothes that Esau owned. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession)
goatskins
The hairiness of the goatskins would make Jacob feel like Esau.