Genesis 27 · Verse 4

Genesis 27:4

And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
Genesis 27:4, King James Version

Genesis 27:4 in other translations

BSBThen prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.”
WEBMake me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless you before I die.”
ASVand make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
YLTand make for me tasteful things, such as I have loved, and bring in to me, and I do eat, so that my soul doth bless thee before I die.'
DARBYand prepare me a savoury dish such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, in order that my soul may bless thee before I die.
BBEAnd make me food, good to the taste, such as is pleasing to me, and put it before me, so that I may have a meal and give you my blessing before death comes to me.
WebsterAnd make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

What does Genesis 27:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. make ... savory meat--perhaps to revive and strengthen him for the duty; or rather, "as eating and drinking" were used on all religious occasions, he could not convey the right, till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing [Adam Clarke] (compare Ge 18:7). that my soul may bless thee--It is difficult to imagine him ignorant of the divine purpose (compare Ge 25:23). But natural affection, prevailing through age and infirmity, prompted him to entail the honors and powers of the birthright on his elder son; and perhaps he was not aware of what Esau had done (Ge 25:34).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 Savory meat - מטעמים matammim, from טעם taam, to taste or relish; how dressed we know not, but its name declares its nature. That I may eat - The blessing which Isaac was to confer on his son was a species of Divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate ceremonies. As eating and drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose that something of this kind was essentially necessary on this occasion, and that Isaac could not convey the right till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing. As Isaac was now old, and in a feeble and languishing condition, it was necessary that the flesh used on this occasion should be prepared so as to invite the appetite, that a sufficiency of it might be taken to revive and recruit his drooping strength, that he might be the better able to go through the whole of this ceremony. This seems to be the sole reason why savory meat is so particularly mentioned in the text. When we consider, 1. That no covenant was deemed binding unless the parties had eaten together; 2. That to convey this blessing some rite of this kind was necessary; and, 3. That Isaac's strength was now greatly exhausted, insomuch that he supposed himself to be dying; we shall at once see why meat was required on this occasion, and why that meat was to be prepared so as to deserve the epithet of savory. As I believe this to be the true sense of the place, I do not trouble my readers with interpretations which I suppose to be either exceptionable or false.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 27:1-5

The promises of the Messiah, and of the land of Canaan, had come down to Isaac. Isaac being now about 135 years of age, and his sons about 75, and not duly considering the Divine word concerning his two sons, that the elder should serve the younger, resolved to put all the honour and power that were in the promise, upon Esau his eldest son. We are very apt to take measures rather from our own reason than from Divine…

Read the full comment on Genesis 27:1-5 →

Genesis 27:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַעֲשֵׂה\־va.'a.seh-and prepareH6213
לִ֨יlifor <the> me
מַטְעַמִּ֜יםmat.'a.Mimsavory food<s>H4303
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רka.'a.Sherjust asH834
אָהַ֛בְתִּי'a.Hav.tiI loveH157
וְהָבִ֥יאָהve.ha.Vi.'ahand bring [it] !H935
לִּ֖יlito <the> me
וְאֹכֵ֑לָהve.'o.Khe.lahso let me eat [it]H398
בַּעֲב֛וּרba.'a.Vurin order thatH5668
תְּבָרֶכְךָ֥te.va.rekh.Khait may bless youH1288
נַפְשִׁ֖יnaf.Shiself myH5315
בְּטֶ֥רֶםbe.Te.rem<in> beforeH2962
אָמֽוּת\׃'a.MutI will dieH4191

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 27:4

  • Hebrews 11:20

    By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

  • Genesis 48:9

    And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

  • Genesis 49:28

    All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

  • Genesis 27:25

    And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

  • Luke 24:51

    And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

  • Genesis 27:7

    Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.

  • Joshua 22:6

    So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.

  • Joshua 14:13

    And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

  • Luke 2:34

    And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

  • Genesis 28:3

    And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;

  • Genesis 27:31

    And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.

  • Genesis 48:15-20

    And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
that I may eat.The blessing, says Dr. A. Clarke, which Isaac was to confer on his son, was a species of divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate ceremonies. As eating and drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose, that something of this kind was essentially necessary on this occasion; and that Isaac could not convey the right, till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing.
that my.
7,23,25,27; 14:19; 24:60; 28:3; 48:9,15-20; 49:28; Le 9:22,23
De 33:1-29; Jos 14:13; 22:6; Lu 2:34; 24:51; Heb 11:20

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 27:3

    Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

  • Genesis 27:4

    And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

  • Genesis 27:5

    And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

Read all of Genesis 27

Genesis 27:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y hazme un guisado, como yo gusto, y tráeme lo, y comeré; para que te bendiga mi alma antes que muera.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et apprête-moi un mets savoureux comme j’aime, et apporte-le-moi, et j’en mangerai, afin que mon âme te bénisse avant que je meure.
German
Elberfelder 1871		und bereite mir ein schmackhaftes Gericht, wie ich es gern habe, und bringe es mir her, daß ich esse, damit meine Seele dich segne, ehe ich sterbe.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		fac mihi inde pulmentum sicut velle me nosti, et affer ut comedam: et benedicat tibi anima mea antequam moriar.