# Torah with Onkelos
## Parashat Toldot — Fifth Aliyah
### Bereshit 26:30 – 27:27
*The covenant feast at Beer Sheva, Eisov's Chitite wives, and Yaakov in Eisov's garments before his blind father, read through Targum Onkelos*
---
## Contents
- [Orientation](#orientation)
- [How this booklet is laid out](#layout)
- [Unit 1 — Bereshit 26:30–33: The covenant feast and the well named Shiva](#unit-1)
- [Unit 2 — Bereshit 26:34–35: Eisov's Chitite wives](#unit-2)
- [Unit 3 — Bereshit 27:1–9: Yitzchok sends Eisov to hunt, and Rivkah hears](#unit-3)
- [Unit 4 — Bereshit 27:10–18: Yaakov's fear, and Rivkah dresses him for the blessing](#unit-4)
- [Unit 5 — Bereshit 27:19–27: The voice of Yaakov, the hands of Eisov](#unit-5)
- [Conclusion of the aliyah](#conclusion)
- [Aramaic word list for the aliyah](#glossary)
- [Source note](#source-note)
---
## Orientation
**What happens in this aliyah.** The aliyah opens as Yitzchok's dealings with his visitors come to a close: he makes them a feast, in the morning they swear to one another and leave in peace, and that same day his servants report water in the well they have dug, which he names Shiva. At forty Eisov marries two Chitite women, Yehudis and Bosmas, who become a grief to Yitzchok and Rivkah. Then the story of the blessing begins. Old and nearly blind, Yitzchok sends Eisov to hunt game and prepare him a dish so that he may bless him before he dies. Rivkah overhears, tells Yaakov to bring two kids from the flock, and answers his fear of being found out. She cooks the dish, dresses him in Eisov's garments and covers his hands and neck with goatskins. Yaakov goes in to his father as Eisov; Yitzchok questions the speed of the hunt, touches him, hears Yaakov's voice yet feels Eisov's hands, eats and drinks, kisses him, smells his garments and begins to bless him.
**What Onkelos is.** Targum Onkelos is the classical Aramaic translation of the Torah, read for centuries alongside the Hebrew; the Talmud speaks of reviewing the weekly portion "twice in the Hebrew and once in the Targum". Because it is a translation, it rarely adds explanation in so many words. Its interpretation lies in its choices: which Aramaic word it uses, where it adds or omits a word, how it handles a difficult phrase, and where it departs from a word-for-word rendering.
**How this booklet reads Onkelos.** The notes compare the Aramaic with the Hebrew and nothing else. No later commentators are brought in. Where a note draws a conclusion about what Onkelos meant, it is stated as an inference from the text, not as established fact.
**What to look out for in this aliyah.**
- **Food named by cooking, not by taste.** The Hebrew *mat'ammim*, "tasty dishes", is rendered *tavshilin* (תַבְשִׁילִין), "cooked dishes", in all five verses where it occurs (27:4, 27:7, 27:9, 27:14, 27:17).
- **A word for "now".** Every Hebrew particle *na* in the aliyah becomes *ke'an* (כְּעַן), "now", and the same word renders *ve-'attah*, "and now". In 27:3, where the Hebrew has both, the Aramaic reads "now ... now".
- **Idioms turned into plain speech.** "Listen to my voice" becomes "accept from me" (קַבֵּל מִנִי) both times Rivkah says it (27:8, 27:13); Yaakov's "sit" becomes "turn around" (27:19); the general "your gear" becomes "your weapons" (27:3).
- **Two verses that say more than the Hebrew.** Eisov's wives are "defiant and provoking against the word of" Yitzchok and Rivkah (26:35), and Rivkah's "upon me be your curse" becomes a statement that it was said to her in prophecy that the curses will not come upon Yaakov (27:13).
- **Links that survive translation.** Onkelos keeps the Hebrew's shared roots: "feast" and "drank" (26:30), "trap" and "game" (27:3), Yaakov's smooth skin and the smooth part of his neck (שְׁעִיעַ, שְׁעִיעוּת; 27:11, 27:16), one root קרב for every "come close" and "bring close" (27:21-27), and smell and fragrance (27:27).
- **The printed text and the Yemenite text.** Several of the points the notes make hold for the printed Onkelos only, for instance the name "the Well of Sheva" (26:33) and "the day that I will die" (27:2), where the Yemenite text keeps the Hebrew wording. The textual notes mark these where they occur.
---
## How this booklet is laid out
For each verse:
- **Torah** — the Hebrew verse, with vowels and cantillation, followed by an English **Translation** of the Hebrew (Metsudah Chumash).
- **Onkelos** — the Aramaic of Targum Onkelos, followed by **Onkelos in English**, a close translation of the Aramaic. It uses the same wording as the Torah translation wherever the Aramaic says the same thing, so that the differences from the Hebrew can be seen. Words in square brackets are added for sense.
- **What Onkelos tells us** — editorial notes comparing the Aramaic with the Hebrew: what is translated literally, what is changed or added, and what that suggests about how Onkelos read the verse. Selected Aramaic words are listed with their Hebrew equivalents.
Each unit ends with a short **Unit summary**. The booklet ends with a review of the aliyah and an Aramaic word list.
Divine Names in the Hebrew and Aramaic are printed as ה׳ and אלקים. In English, God's proper Name is rendered *Hashem*, and *Elokim* is rendered *God*.
---
## Unit 1 — Bereshit 26:30–33: The covenant feast and the well named Shiva
Yitzchok holds a feast for his visitors; in the morning they swear to one another and part in peace. That same day his servants report that they have found water, and he names the well Shiva, the origin of the name Beer Sheva.
---
### Bereshit 26:30
**Torah**
וַיַּ֤עַשׂ לָהֶם֙ מִשְׁתֶּ֔ה וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ׃
**Translation**
He [Yitzchok] made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
**Onkelos**
וַעֲבַד לְהוֹן מִשְׁתְּיָא וַאֲכָלוּ וּשְׁתִיאוּ
**Onkelos in English**
He made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"He made a feast".** A literal rendering. The Hebrew verb of making, *vaya'as* (וַיַּעַשׂ), is rendered by the Aramaic *va'avad* (וַעֲבַד).
- **"A feast ... and drank".** In the Hebrew, *mishteh* ("feast", literally a drinking) and *vayishtu* ("they drank") share a root. Onkelos keeps the link: *mishteya* (מִשְׁתְּיָא) and *u-shti'u* (וּשְׁתִיאוּ) are both built on the Aramaic שתי.
**Words to note:** וַעֲבַד *va'avad* — he made (וַיַּעַשׂ) · מִשְׁתְּיָא *mishteya* — a feast (מִשְׁתֶּה) · וּשְׁתִיאוּ *u-shti'u* — and they drank (וַיִּשְׁתּוּ)
---
### Bereshit 26:31
**Torah**
וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ בַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ אִ֣ישׁ לְאָחִ֑יו וַיְשַׁלְּחֵ֣ם יִצְחָ֔ק וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ מֵאִתּ֖וֹ בְּשָׁלֽוֹם׃
**Translation**
They got up early in the morning, and they each swore to the other. Yitzchok sent them away and they left in peace.
**Onkelos**
וְאַקְדִימוּ בְצַפְרָא וְקַיִּימוּ גְּבַר לְאָחוּהִי וְשַׁלָּחִנוּן יִצְחָק וַאֲזָלוּ מִלְוָתֵהּ בִּשְׁלָם
**Onkelos in English**
They got up early in the morning, and they each swore to the other. Yitzchok sent them away and they left from him in peace.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"They got up early in the morning".** The Hebrew *vayashkimu ba-boker* becomes *ve-akdimu vetzafra* (וְאַקְדִימוּ בְצַפְרָא): a different verb, meaning "to be early", and the Aramaic word for morning. The sense is unchanged.
- **"They each swore to the other".** For *vayishave'u*, "they swore", Onkelos writes *ve-kayyimu* (וְקַיִּימוּ), literally "they confirmed" or "established"; in context it denotes the taking of an oath. The idiom "a man to his brother" (*ish le-ahiv*) is reproduced word for word as *gevar le-ahuhi* (גְּבַר לְאָחוּהִי).
- **"From him in peace".** The Hebrew *me-itto*, "from (with) him", is rendered by the Aramaic preposition *mi-levateh* (מִלְוָתֵהּ), and *be-shalom* by *bi-shlam*. A literal rendering.
**Words to note:** וְאַקְדִימוּ *ve-akdimu* — and they got up early (וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ) · בְצַפְרָא *vetzafra* — in the morning (בַבֹּקֶר) · וְקַיִּימוּ *ve-kayyimu* — and they swore (literally, confirmed) (וַיִּשָּׁבְעוּ) · גְּבַר *gevar* — a man (here: each) (אִישׁ) · מִלְוָתֵהּ *mi-levateh* — from him (מֵאִתּוֹ) · בִּשְׁלָם *bi-shlam* — in peace (בְּשָׁלוֹם)
---
### Bereshit 26:32
**Torah**
וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ עַבְדֵ֣י יִצְחָ֔ק וַיַּגִּ֣דוּ ל֔וֹ עַל־אֹד֥וֹת הַבְּאֵ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָפָ֑רוּ וַיֹּ֥אמְרוּ ל֖וֹ מָצָ֥אנוּ מָֽיִם׃
**Translation**
On that day Yitzchok's servants came and told him about the well they had dug; and they said to him, We have found water.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה בְּיוֹמָא הַהוּא וַאֲתוֹ עַבְדֵי יִצְחָק וְחַוִּיאוּ לֵהּ עַל עֵיסַק בֵּירָא דִּי חֲפָרוּ וַאֲמָרוּ לֵהּ אַשְׁכַּחְנָא מַיָּא
**Onkelos in English**
It was on that day, [that] Yitzchok's servants came and told him about the matter of the well they had dug; and they said to him, We have found water.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"About the matter of the well".** The Hebrew uses the compound preposition *al odot* (עַל אֹדוֹת), "concerning". Onkelos renders it with *al eisak* (עַל עֵיסַק), "about the matter (business) of", an ordinary Aramaic phrase with the same meaning.
- **"We have found water".** *Ashkahna* (אַשְׁכַּחְנָא) renders the Hebrew *matzanu*, "we have found". The Aramaic verb is spelled with the letters שכח, which in Hebrew mean "to forget"; in Aramaic this form means "to find". The two are homographs, not the same word.
- **"The well".** The Hebrew *ha-be'er* becomes the Aramaic *beira* (בֵּירָא), with the emphatic ending in place of the article. Otherwise the verse is a literal rendering.
**Words to note:** וְחַוִּיאוּ *ve-havvi'u* — and they told (וַיַּגִּדוּ) · עֵיסַק *eisak* — the matter (אֹדוֹת) · בֵּירָא *beira* — the well (הַבְּאֵר) · אַשְׁכַּחְנָא *ashkahna* — we have found (מָצָאנוּ)
---
### Bereshit 26:33
**Torah**
וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֹתָ֖הּ שִׁבְעָ֑ה עַל־כֵּ֤ן שֵׁם־הָעִיר֙ בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ {ס}
**Translation**
He named it Shiva. Therefore the city is called Beer Sheva until this very day.
**Onkelos**
וּקְרָא יָתַהּ שִׁבְעָה עַל כֵּן שְׁמָא דְקַרְתָּא בְּאֵרָא דְשֶׁבַע (נ''י בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע) עַד יוֹמָא הָדֵין
**Onkelos in English**
He named it Shiva. Therefore the name of the city [is] the Well of Sheva (another version: Beer Sheva) until this very day.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"He named it Shiva".** A literal rendering. The name *Shiv'ah* (שִׁבְעָה) is kept exactly as in the Hebrew.
- **"The name of the city".** The Hebrew construct *shem ha-ir* is rendered with the Aramaic genitive particle: *shema de-karta* (שְׁמָא דְקַרְתָּא), "the name of the city".
- **"The Well of Sheva".** In the main printed text Onkelos does not simply repeat the place name *Be'er Sheva* (בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע). He writes *be'era de-sheva* (בְּאֵרָא דְשֶׁבַע), turning the first element into an Aramaic noun with the emphatic ending and linking the two parts with the genitive particle. The meaning of the name, "the well of Sheva", is thus spelled out, which may be meant to tie it to the well reported in 26:32. Even so, he uses the form *be'era*, close to the Hebrew *be'er*, not *beira* (בֵּירָא), the word for the well in 26:32; perhaps this keeps the name recognisable.
- **"Another reading: Beer Sheva".** The printed text itself adds in parentheses an alternative reading, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, which keeps the Hebrew name unchanged.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text has only בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, the Hebrew name unchanged, matching the alternative reading given in parentheses in the printed text. The translated name "the Well of Sheva" holds for the printed text only. The Yemenite text also reads שְׁמַהּ דְּקַרְתָּא, "its name, of the city", for שְׁמָא דְקַרְתָּא, without change of sense.
**Words to note:** דְקַרְתָּא *de-karta* — of the city (הָעִיר) · בְּאֵרָא *be'era* — the Well (בְּאֵר) · דְשֶׁבַע *de-sheva* — of Sheva (שֶׁבַע) · הָדֵין *hadein* — this (הַזֶּה)
---
### Unit 1 summary
Onkelos follows the Hebrew closely through this unit, using his ordinary Aramaic equivalents: *va'avad* for "made", *ve-akdimu* for "got up early", *ve-kayyimu* for "swore", *al eisak* for *al odot*, and *ashkahna* for "we have found". He keeps the link between "feast" and "drank", and the idiom "a man to his brother". The one notable point is the place name in 26:33: the printed text spells out *Be'er Sheva* as *be'era de-sheva*, "the Well of Sheva", while a reading noted in the printed text itself, and the Yemenite text, keep the Hebrew name unchanged.
---
## Unit 2 — Bereshit 26:34–35: Eisov's Chitite wives
At forty, Eisov marries two Chitite women, Yehudis and Bosmas, and they become a source of grief to Yitzchok and Rivkah.
---
### Bereshit 26:34
**Torah**
וַיְהִ֤י עֵשָׂו֙ בֶּן־אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה וַיִּקַּ֤ח אִשָּׁה֙ אֶת־יְהוּדִ֔ית בַּת־בְּאֵרִ֖י הַֽחִתִּ֑י וְאֶת־בָּ֣שְׂמַ֔ת בַּת־אֵילֹ֖ן הַֽחִתִּֽי׃
**Translation**
Eisov was forty years old and he married Yehudis, the daughter of Be'eri, the Chittite and Bosmas, the daughter of Eylon the Chittite.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה עֵשָׂו בַּר אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין וּנְסִיב אִתְּתָא יָת יְהוּדִית בַּת בְּאֵרִי חִתָּאָה וְיָת בָּשְׂמַת בַּת אֵילוֹן חִתָּאָה
**Onkelos in English**
Eisov was forty years old and he took as a wife Yehudis, the daughter of Be'eri the Chitite, and Bosmas, the daughter of Eylon the Chitite.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Forty years old".** The Hebrew has the singular *shanah* after the number forty; Onkelos has the plural *shenin* (שְׁנִין), a small grammatical smoothing. The idiom "son of forty years" is kept: *bar* for *ben*.
- **"He took as a wife".** The Hebrew *vayikkah ishah*, literally "he took a wife", is rendered word for word: *u-nesiv itteta* (וּנְסִיב אִתְּתָא). The object marker *et* before each wife's name is matched by *yat*.
- **"The Chitite".** The Hebrew gentilic with the article, *ha-Hitti* (הַחִתִּי), becomes the Aramaic gentilic *hitta'ah* (חִתָּאָה), whose emphatic ending does the work of the Hebrew article. The personal names are kept unchanged.
**Words to note:** בַּר *bar* — old (literally, son of) (בֶּן) · שְׁנִין *shenin* — years (שָׁנָה) · וּנְסִיב *u-nesiv* — and he took (וַיִּקַּח) · אִתְּתָא *itteta* — a wife (אִשָּׁה) · חִתָּאָה *hitta'ah* — the Chitite (הַחִתִּי)
---
### Bereshit 26:35
**Torah**
וַתִּהְיֶ֖יןָ מֹ֣רַת ר֑וּחַ לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּלְרִבְקָֽה׃ {ס}
**Translation**
They were rebellious of spirit to Yitzchok and Rivkah.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָאָה מְסָרְבָן וּמְרַגְּזָן עַל מֵימַר יִצְחָק וְרִבְקָה
**Onkelos in English**
They were defiant and provoking against the word of Yitzchok and Rivkah.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Defiant and provoking".** The Hebrew describes Eisov's wives with a single noun phrase, *morat ruah* (מֹרַת רוּחַ), "rebellion (or bitterness) of spirit". Onkelos replaces it with two feminine plural participles: *mesarvan* (מְסָרְבָן), "defiant" or "refusing", and *u-meraggezan* (וּמְרַגְּזָן), "and provoking [anger]". The word *ruah*, "spirit", has no counterpart. Since the Hebrew *morat* can be heard either as "rebellion" or as "bitterness", the pair of verbs may be an attempt to convey both: defiance on the wives' part and the anger it caused.
- **"Against the word of Yitzchok and Rivkah".** Where the Hebrew says simply "to Yitzchok and to Rivkah", Onkelos writes *al meimar* (עַל מֵימַר), "against the word of". The defiance is thus directed at what Yitzchok and Rivkah said, rather than at their persons; this suggests a reading in which the wives' offence was disregard of their parents-in-law's wishes. A single *meimar* governs both names, so the repeated "to" of the Hebrew (*le-Yitzhak u-le-Rivkah*) is not reproduced.
- **"They were".** The Hebrew feminine plural *vatihyena* is matched by the Aramaic feminine plural *va-hava'ah* (וַהֲוָאָה).
**Words to note:** וַהֲוָאָה *va-hava'ah* — they were (feminine) (וַתִּהְיֶיןָ) · מְסָרְבָן *mesarvan* — defiant (מֹרַת) · וּמְרַגְּזָן *u-meraggezan* — and provoking · מֵימַר *meimar* — the word
---
### Unit 2 summary
The report of Eisov's marriages is rendered literally, with small grammatical adjustments such as the plural *shenin*, "years", and the gentilic *hitta'ah*, "the Chitite". The interpretive weight falls on 26:35. In place of the Hebrew's terse "rebellion of spirit to Yitzchok and Rivkah", Onkelos describes the wives as "defiant and provoking against the word of" Yitzchok and Rivkah: two verbs where the Hebrew has one noun phrase, and an added *meimar* that directs their defiance at what the parents said. This perhaps reflects an understanding of the Hebrew as describing conduct towards Yitzchok and Rivkah rather than a state of spirit.
---
## Unit 3 — Bereshit 27:1–9: Yitzchok sends Eisov to hunt, and Rivkah hears
Old and nearly blind, Yitzchok asks Eisov to hunt game and prepare him a dish so that he may bless him before he dies. Rivkah overhears and begins instructing Yaakov.
---
### Bereshit 27:1
**Torah**
וַֽיְהִי֙ כִּֽי־זָקֵ֣ן יִצְחָ֔ק וַתִּכְהֶ֥יןָ עֵינָ֖יו מֵרְאֹ֑ת וַיִּקְרָ֞א אֶת־עֵשָׂ֣ו ׀ בְּנ֣וֹ הַגָּדֹ֗ל וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ בְּנִ֔י וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו הִנֵּֽנִי׃
**Translation**
And when Yitzchok grew old his eyesight faded and he could not see. He called Eisov, his elder son, and said to him, My son. [Eisov] said to him, Here I am.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה כַּד סִיב יִצְחָק וְכָהֲיָּא עֵינוֹהִי מִלְּמֶחֱזֵי וּקְרָא יַת עֵשָׂו בְּרֵהּ רַבָּה וַאֲמַר לֵהּ בְּרִי וַאֲמַר לֵהּ הָא אָנָא
**Onkelos in English**
And it was, when Yitzchok grew old, and his eyes faded from seeing, and he called Eisov, his elder son, and said to him, My son. And he said to him, Here I am.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Grew old".** The Hebrew *zaken* is rendered by the Aramaic verb *siv* (סִיב), "grew old". The same root returns in 27:2, *seivit*, for the Hebrew *zakanti*.
- **"His eyes faded from seeing".** Onkelos keeps the Hebrew structure word for word. His verb (וְכָהֲיָּא) is from the same root as the Hebrew *va-tikhhena*, and the Hebrew infinitive *me-re'ot*, "from seeing", becomes the Aramaic infinitive *mil-mehezei* (מִלְּמֶחֱזֵי), from the usual Aramaic verb for seeing, חזי.
- **"His elder son".** The Hebrew *ha-gadol*, literally "the great one", is matched by the Aramaic *rabbah* (רַבָּה), which also means both "great" and "elder". The double sense of the Hebrew is kept.
- **"Here I am".** The single Hebrew word *hineni* becomes two words in Aramaic, *ha ana* (הָא אָנָא), literally "behold, I". This is the ordinary Aramaic way of answering a call.
**Words to note:** סִיב *siv* — grew old (זָקֵן) · וְכָהֲיָּא *ve-khahayya* — [and] faded (וַתִּכְהֶיןָ) · מִלְּמֶחֱזֵי *mil-mehezei* — from seeing (מֵרְאֹת) · רַבָּה *rabbah* — elder (literally 'great') (הַגָּדֹל) · הָא אָנָא *ha ana* — here I am (literally 'behold, I') (הִנֵּנִי)
---
### Bereshit 27:2
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר הִנֵּה־נָ֖א זָקַ֑נְתִּי לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְתִּי י֥וֹם מוֹתִֽי׃
**Translation**
[Yitzchok] said, Behold, if you please, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר הָא כְעַן סֵיבִית לֵית אֲנָא יְדַע יוֹמָא דְאֵימוּת
**Onkelos in English**
And he said, Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day that I will die.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Behold now".** The Hebrew particle *na* is rendered *khe'an* (כְעַן), "now". Onkelos uses the same word for *na* again in 27:3 and 27:9, and also for the Hebrew *ve-'attah*, "and now", in 27:3 and 27:8.
- **"I do not know".** The Hebrew perfect *yada'ti* becomes a present-tense phrase, *leit ana yeda* (לֵית אֲנָא יְדַע), literally "I am not knowing". The meaning is unchanged; Aramaic expresses a present state this way.
- **"The day that I will die".** Where the Hebrew has a noun, *yom moti*, "the day of my death", the printed Onkelos has a verb clause, *yoma de-eimut* (יוֹמָא דְאֵימוּת), "the day that I will die". The change is one of style, perhaps to avoid a noun with a possessive suffix. In 27:7, however, the printed text keeps the noun *moti* for the same Hebrew word, and in 27:4 "before I die" is a verb in both languages.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads *yom moti* (יוֹם מוֹתִי), "the day of my death", the same words as the Hebrew. The point that Onkelos turns the noun into a verb clause holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** כְעַן *khe'an* — now (נָא) · סֵיבִית *seivit* — I am old (זָקַנְתִּי) · לֵית אֲנָא יְדַע *leit ana yeda* — I do not know (יָדַעְתִּי) · יוֹמָא דְאֵימוּת *yoma de-eimut* — the day that I will die
---
### Bereshit 27:3
**Torah**
וְעַתָּה֙ שָׂא־נָ֣א כֵלֶ֔יךָ תֶּלְיְךָ֖ וְקַשְׁתֶּ֑ךָ וְצֵא֙ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה וְצ֥וּדָה לִּ֖י (צידה) [צָֽיִד]׃
**Translation**
Now [therefore] please take your equipment, your sword and your bow, and go out to the field and trap [deer] for me.
**Onkelos**
וּכְעַן סַב כְּעַן זֵינָךְ סַיְפָךְ וְקַשְׁתָּךְ וּפוּק לְחַקְלָא וְצוּד לִי צֵידָא
**Onkelos in English**
And now take, now, your weapons, your sword and your bow, and go out to the field and trap game for me.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"And now take, now".** Onkelos uses one word, *ke'an*, for two different Hebrew words: *u-khe'an* (וּכְעַן) renders *ve-'attah*, "and now", and *ke'an* (כְּעַן) renders the particle *na*. The result is the repetition "now ... now", which the Hebrew does not have.
- **"Your weapons".** The Hebrew *kelekha* is a general word, "your gear" or "your vessels". Onkelos uses *zeinakh* (זֵינָךְ), "your weapons", a narrower word that may reflect the context of hunting with sword and bow.
- **"Your sword".** The rare Hebrew *telyekha* is rendered *sayfakh* (סַיְפָךְ), "your sword". Onkelos thus commits to one specific meaning for an uncommon Hebrew word.
- **"To the field".** The Hebrew *ha-sadeh* has no preposition; the direction is implied. Onkelos adds one, *le-hakla* (לְחַקְלָא), "to the field", as Aramaic requires.
- **"Trap game".** The verb and noun share a root in both languages: Hebrew *tzudah* ... *tzayid*, Aramaic *tzud* ... *tzeida* (צֵידָא). Onkelos's noun is the ordinary Aramaic word for game, so it does not show whether he read the written form (צידה) or the read form *tzayid*.
**Words to note:** וּכְעַן *u-khe'an* — and now (וְעַתָּה) · כְּעַן *ke'an* — now (נָא) · זֵינָךְ *zeinakh* — your weapons (כֵלֶיךָ) · סַיְפָךְ *sayfakh* — your sword (תֶּלְיְךָ) · לְחַקְלָא *le-hakla* — to the field (הַשָּׂדֶה) · צֵידָא *tzeida* — game (צַיִד)
---
### Bereshit 27:4
**Torah**
וַעֲשֵׂה־לִ֨י מַטְעַמִּ֜ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר אָהַ֛בְתִּי וְהָבִ֥יאָה לִּ֖י וְאֹכֵ֑לָה בַּעֲב֛וּר תְּבָרֶכְךָ֥ נַפְשִׁ֖י בְּטֶ֥רֶם אָמֽוּת׃
**Translation**
Make it into a tasty dish for me, the way I like it, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul will bless you before I die.
**Onkelos**
וְעִבֵיד לִי תַבְשִׁילִין כְּמָא דִרְחֵימִית וְאָעֵל לִי וְאֵיכוּל בְּדִיל דִּי תְבָרֵכִנָּךְ נַפְשִׁי עַד לָא אֵימוּת
**Onkelos in English**
And make for me cooked dishes, the way I like, and bring [them] in to me, that I may eat, so that my soul will bless you before I die.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Cooked dishes".** The Hebrew *mat'ammim*, "tasty foods", comes from the root for taste. Onkelos uses *tavshilin* (תַבְשִׁילִין), "cooked dishes", from the root בשל, "to cook". He describes the food by how it is prepared rather than by its flavour. He does the same each time the word occurs in this passage (27:7, 27:9).
- **"The way I like".** The Hebrew *ahavti* is rendered *di-rheimit* (דִרְחֵימִית), from the Aramaic root רחם, Onkelos's usual equivalent of the Hebrew אהב, "to love". The same root returns in 27:9 for Yitzchok's taste.
- **"Bring [them] in".** For the Hebrew *ve-havi'ah*, "bring", Onkelos uses *ve-a'el* (וְאָעֵל), "bring in". In 27:5 and 27:7 he renders the same Hebrew verb with a different Aramaic verb, from the root אתי (*le-ayta'a*, *aytei*). Here the Aramaic perhaps pictures the food being brought in to where Yitzchok is.
- **"Before I die".** The Hebrew *be-terem amut* is rendered with the Aramaic idiom *'ad la eimut* (עַד לָא אֵימוּת), literally "while I do not yet die". The meaning is the same.
**Words to note:** וְעִבֵיד *ve-'iveid* — and make (וַעֲשֵׂה) · תַבְשִׁילִין *tavshilin* — cooked dishes (מַטְעַמִּים) · דִרְחֵימִית *di-rheimit* — [that] I like (אָהַבְתִּי) · וְאָעֵל *ve-a'el* — and bring in (וְהָבִיאָה) · תְבָרֵכִנָּךְ *tevarekhinnakh* — will bless you (תְּבָרֶכְךָ) · עַד לָא אֵימוּת *'ad la eimut* — before I die (בְּטֶרֶם אָמוּת)
---
### Bereshit 27:5
**Torah**
וְרִבְקָ֣ה שֹׁמַ֔עַת בְּדַבֵּ֣ר יִצְחָ֔ק אֶל־עֵשָׂ֖ו בְּנ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ עֵשָׂו֙ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה לָצ֥וּד צַ֖יִד לְהָבִֽיא׃
**Translation**
Rivkah had [over]heard what Yitzchok said to his son, Eisov. Eisov went out to the field to trap [deer] to bring it [home.]
**Onkelos**
וְרִבְקָה שְׁמַעַת כַּד מַלִּיל יִצְחָק לְוַת עֵשָׂו בְּרֵהּ וַאֲזַל עֵשָׂו לְחַקְלָא לְמֵיצַד צֵידָא לְאַיְתָאָה
**Onkelos in English**
And Rivkah was listening when Yitzchok spoke to his son, Eisov. And Eisov went to the field to trap game to bring [it].
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Was listening".** Both languages use a participle: Hebrew *shoma'at*, Aramaic *shema'at* (שְׁמַעַת). Rivkah's listening is presented as going on while Yitzchok speaks.
- **"When Yitzchok spoke".** The Hebrew uses an infinitive with a prefix, *be-dabber*, "in the speaking of". Onkelos turns it into a clause with a finite verb, *kad mallil* (כַּד מַלִּיל), "when [he] spoke", a common Aramaic smoothing.
- **"To his son".** The Hebrew *el* is rendered *levat* (לְוַת), "to". In 27:6 Onkelos renders the same Hebrew preposition after the same verb with *'im*, "with".
- **"To bring [it]".** The Hebrew *le-havi* becomes *le-ayta'a* (לְאַיְתָאָה), from the root אתי, "come", in its causative form "bring". Compare 27:4, where the same Hebrew verb is rendered "bring in".
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads *'im* (עִם), "with", in place of *levat*, the same preposition the printed text uses after "speaking" in 27:6.
**Words to note:** שְׁמַעַת *shema'at* — was listening (שֹׁמַעַת) · כַּד מַלִּיל *kad mallil* — when [he] spoke (בְּדַבֵּר) · לְוַת *levat* — to (אֶל) · וַאֲזַל *va-azal* — and [he] went (וַיֵּלֶךְ) · לְמֵיצַד *le-meitzad* — to trap (לָצוּד) · לְאַיְתָאָה *le-ayta'a* — to bring (לְהָבִיא)
---
### Bereshit 27:6
**Torah**
וְרִבְקָה֙ אָֽמְרָ֔ה אֶל־יַעֲקֹ֥ב בְּנָ֖הּ לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּ֤ה שָׁמַ֙עְתִּי֙ אֶת־אָבִ֔יךָ מְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶל־עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִ֖יךָ לֵאמֹֽר׃
**Translation**
Rivkah said to her son Yaakov, saying, Behold, I heard your father speaking to your brother Eisov, saying,
**Onkelos**
וְרִבְקָה אֲמָרַת לְוַת יַעֲקֹב בְּרַהּ לְמֵימָר הָא שְׁמָעִית יַת אֲבוּךְ מְמַלֵּל עִם עֵשָׂו אַחוּךְ לְמֵימָר
**Onkelos in English**
And Rivkah said to her son Yaakov, saying, Behold, I heard your father speaking with your brother Eisov, saying,
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Said to ... speaking with".** The Hebrew uses *el* twice in this verse, after "said" and after "speaking". Onkelos renders the first *levat* (לְוַת), "to", and the second *'im* (עִם), "with". Since 27:5 has *levat* after the same verb of speaking, the choice does not seem to be fixed by the verb.
- **"Behold".** The Hebrew *hinneh* is rendered *ha* (הָא), Onkelos's usual equivalent.
- **"Speaking".** The Hebrew participle *medabber* is matched by the Aramaic participle *memallel* (מְמַלֵּל), from מלל, Onkelos's regular verb for the Hebrew דבר.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text has "to Yaakov" with a simple prefix, *le-Ya'akov* (לְיַעֲקֹב), rather than *levat*. It also reads "I heard **from** your father" (*min*, מִן), where the printed text has the object marker *yat*, as the Hebrew has *et*.
**Words to note:** לְוַת *levat* — to (אֶל) · שְׁמָעִית *shema'it* — I heard (שָׁמַעְתִּי) · מְמַלֵּל *memallel* — speaking (מְדַבֵּר) · עִם *'im* — with (אֶל) · אַחוּךְ *ahukh* — your brother (אָחִיךָ)
---
### Bereshit 27:7
**Torah**
הָבִ֨יאָה לִּ֥י צַ֛יִד וַעֲשֵׂה־לִ֥י מַטְעַמִּ֖ים וְאֹכֵ֑לָה וַאֲבָרֶכְכָ֛ה לִפְנֵ֥י ה׳ לִפְנֵ֥י מוֹתִֽי׃
**Translation**
Bring back [deer] for me and make it into a tasty dish for me and I will eat. I will then bless you in the presence of Hashem before I die.
**Onkelos**
אַיְתִי לִי צֵידָא וְעִבֵּיד לִי תַבְשִׁילִין וְאֵיכוּל וֶאֱבָרֵכִנָּךְ קֳדָם ה׳ קֳדָם מוֹתִי
**Onkelos in English**
Bring game for me and make for me cooked dishes, and I will eat, and I will bless you before Hashem, before my death.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Bring".** The Hebrew *havi'ah* is rendered *aytei* (אַיְתִי), from the root אתי, as in 27:5, not with the verb "bring in" used in 27:4.
- **"Cooked dishes".** Again *tavshilin* (תַבְשִׁילִין) for the Hebrew *mat'ammim*, as in 27:4.
- **"Before Hashem, before my death".** The Hebrew repeats one word, *lifnei*, for "before Hashem" and "before my death". Onkelos repeats one word too, *kodam* (קֳדָם), so the parallel is kept. Here the printed text keeps the noun *moti*, "my death", unlike its verb clause in 27:2.
- **"And I will bless you".** The Aramaic *ve-evarekhinnakh* (וֶאֱבָרֵכִנָּךְ) is a literal rendering of the Hebrew *va-avarekhekha*.
**Words to note:** אַיְתִי *aytei* — bring (הָבִיאָה) · צֵידָא *tzeida* — game (צַיִד) · תַבְשִׁילִין *tavshilin* — cooked dishes (מַטְעַמִּים) · וֶאֱבָרֵכִנָּךְ *ve-evarekhinnakh* — and I will bless you (וַאֲבָרֶכְכָה) · קֳדָם *kodam* — before (לִפְנֵי) · מוֹתִי *moti* — my death (מוֹתִי)
---
### Bereshit 27:8
**Torah**
וְעַתָּ֥ה בְנִ֖י שְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלִ֑י לַאֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י מְצַוָּ֥ה אֹתָֽךְ׃
**Translation**
Now my son, listen to me, concerning that which I command you.
**Onkelos**
וּכְעַן בְּרִי קַבֵּל מִנִי לְמָא דִי אֲנָא מפַקֵד יָתָךְ
**Onkelos in English**
And now, my son, accept from me, concerning that which I command you.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Accept from me".** The Hebrew idiom *shema be-koli*, literally "listen to my voice", meaning "obey me", is rendered *kabbel mini* (קַבֵּל מִנִי), "accept from me". Onkelos replaces the image of hearing a voice with the plain sense of obeying.
- **"That which I command you".** The Hebrew participle *metzavvah* is matched by an Aramaic participle, *mefaked* (מפַקֵד), from פקד, the Aramaic verb for commanding.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads *mefakkeda* (מְפַקְּדָא), a feminine form of the participle, matching the feminine Hebrew *metzavvah* spoken by Rivkah. The printed *mefaked* has the masculine form.
**Words to note:** וּכְעַן *u-khe'an* — and now (וְעַתָּה) · קַבֵּל *kabbel* — accept (שְׁמַע) · מִנִי *mini* — from me · מפַקֵד *mefaked* — command (מְצַוָּה)
---
### Bereshit 27:9
**Torah**
לֶךְ־נָא֙ אֶל־הַצֹּ֔אן וְקַֽח־לִ֣י מִשָּׁ֗ם שְׁנֵ֛י גְּדָיֵ֥י עִזִּ֖ים טֹבִ֑ים וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂ֨ה אֹתָ֧ם מַטְעַמִּ֛ים לְאָבִ֖יךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר אָהֵֽב׃
**Translation**
Go, please, to the sheep and take for me from there two choice young goats, and I will make [from] them a tasty dish for your father as he likes.
**Onkelos**
אִזֵיל כְּעַן לְוַת עָנָא וְסַב לִי מִתַּמָּן תְּרֵין גַדְיֵי (בַר) עִזְּין טָבָן וְאֶעְבֵּד יָתְהוֹן תַּבְשִׁילִין לְאָבוּךְ כְּמָא דִי רְחֵם
**Onkelos in English**
Go now to the sheep and take for me from there two choice kids, (offspring of) goats, and I will make them [into] cooked dishes for your father as he likes.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Go now".** Once again the particle *na* is rendered *ke'an* (כְּעַן), "now".
- **"To the sheep".** The Hebrew *el* is rendered *levat* (לְוַת), and the Hebrew *ha-tzon* by *'ana* (עָנָא), the Aramaic word for a flock of sheep and goats.
- **"Kids, (offspring of) goats".** The Hebrew *gedayei 'izzim* is rendered *gadyei* ... *'izzin* (גַדְיֵי ... עִזְּין). Between them the printed text has *var* ((בַר)), "son" or "offspring", in parentheses, which marks it as a word some texts include and others do not.
- **"As he likes".** The Hebrew *ahev* is again rendered from the root רחם, *rehem* (רְחֵם), as Yitzchok's own words were in 27:4. Rivkah's report repeats his wording in both languages.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text lacks *var*, reading *gedayei 'izzin* (גְּדָיֵי עִזִּין) as in the Hebrew. It also reads *tavin* (טָבִין), the masculine form of "good", like the Hebrew *tovim*, where the printed text has the feminine *tavan*, which may agree with "goats".
**Words to note:** אִזֵיל *izeil* — go (לֶךְ) · עָנָא *'ana* — sheep, flock (הַצֹּאן) · מִתַּמָּן *mi-tamman* — from there (מִשָּׁם) · גַדְיֵי *gadyei* — kids (גְּדָיֵי) · (בַר) *var* — offspring · טָבָן *tavan* — choice (טֹבִים)
---
### Unit 3 summary
Onkelos follows this dialogue closely, and most of his changes are matters of Aramaic idiom. The word *ke'an* does double duty, standing for both Hebrew *ve-'attah* ("now") and the particle *na*, so that in 27:3 it appears twice in a row. The "tasty dishes" (*mat'ammim*) become "cooked dishes" (*tavshilin*) every time they are mentioned, and the one Hebrew verb "bring" is rendered by two different Aramaic verbs. Rivkah's "listen to my voice" becomes "accept from me", and Yitzchok's "the day of my death" becomes, in the printed text, "the day that I will die", though the Yemenite text keeps the noun. The prepositions also vary: the single Hebrew *el* becomes *levat* or *'im* depending on the verse. None of this changes the story; it shows Onkelos turning compact Hebrew expressions into ordinary Aramaic speech.
---
## Unit 4 — Bereshit 27:10–18: Yaakov's fear, and Rivkah dresses him for the blessing
Yaakov fears that his father will touch him and find him out, and Rivkah reassures him; she then cooks the dish, dresses him in Eisov's garments and the goatskins, and he goes in to his father.
---
### Bereshit 27:10
**Torah**
וְהֵבֵאתָ֥ לְאָבִ֖יךָ וְאָכָ֑ל בַּעֲבֻ֛ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְבָרֶכְךָ֖ לִפְנֵ֥י מוֹתֽוֹ׃
**Translation**
You will [then] bring it to your father to eat, in order that he will bless you before he dies.
**Onkelos**
וְתַיְתִי (נ''י וְתָעֵל) לְאָבוּךְ וְיֵכוּל בְּדִיל דִּיְבָרְכִנָּךְ קֳדָם מוֹתֵהּ
**Onkelos in English**
You will bring (another version: bring in) [it] to your father to eat, in order that he will bless you before he dies.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"You will bring".** וְתַיְתִי is a causative form, 'bring', and matches the Hebrew וְהֵבֵאתָ. The alternative reading printed in parentheses, וְתָעֵל, is the causative of עלל, 'enter', and so means 'bring in'.
- **"In order that he will bless you".** The Hebrew בַּעֲבֻר אֲשֶׁר is rendered בְּדִיל followed by the relative ד joined to the verb (דִּיְבָרְכִנָּךְ). Otherwise a literal rendering: the Hebrew 'and he will eat' is kept as וְיֵכוּל, and 'before his death' as קֳדָם מוֹתֵהּ.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads וְתַעֵיל, 'bring in', agreeing with the alternative reading recorded in the printed text (וְתָעֵל) rather than with its main reading וְתַיְתִי, 'bring'.
**Words to note:** וְתַיְתִי *ve-tayti* — you will bring (וְהֵבֵאתָ) · וְיֵכוּל *ve-yekhul* — to eat (literally 'and he will eat') (וְאָכָל) · בְּדִיל *bedil* — in order that (בַּעֲבֻר) · דִּיְבָרְכִנָּךְ *di-yvarkhinnakh* — that he will bless you (יְבָרֶכְךָ) · קֳדָם *kodam* — before (לִפְנֵי)
---
### Bereshit 27:11
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֔ב אֶל־רִבְקָ֖ה אִמּ֑וֹ הֵ֣ן עֵשָׂ֤ו אָחִי֙ אִ֣ישׁ שָׂעִ֔ר וְאָנֹכִ֖י אִ֥ישׁ חָלָֽק׃
**Translation**
Yaakov said to Rivkah, his mother, Behold, Eisov, my brother is a hairy person and I am a smooth-skinned person.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר יַעֲקֹב לְרִבְקָה אִמֵּהּ הָא עֵשָׂו אָחִי גְּבַר שַׂעֲרָן וַאֲנָא גְּבַר שְׁעִיעַ
**Onkelos in English**
Yaakov said to Rivkah, his mother, Behold, Eisov, my brother is a hairy person and I am a smooth-skinned person.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"A hairy person ... a smooth-skinned person".** Onkelos keeps the balanced pair of the Hebrew, using גְּבַר for both occurrences of אִישׁ. 'Hairy' is the adjective שַׂעֲרָן, from the same root as the Hebrew שָׂעִר. For חָלָק he uses a different root, שְׁעִיעַ, the Aramaic word for 'smooth'.
- **A link kept.** In the Hebrew, Yaakov's חָלָק skin here and the חֶלְקַת, 'smooth part', of his neck in 27:16 share the root חלק. Onkelos uses one root, שעע, in both places (שְׁעִיעַ here, שְׁעִיעוּת there), so the connection between the two verses survives in the Aramaic.
- **"Behold".** הָא renders the Hebrew הֵן. A literal rendering otherwise.
**Words to note:** הָא *ha* — behold (הֵן) · גְּבַר *gevar* — person (literally 'man') (אִישׁ) · שַׂעֲרָן *sa'aran* — hairy (שָׂעִר) · שְׁעִיעַ *she'ia* — smooth-skinned (חָלָק)
---
### Bereshit 27:12
**Torah**
אוּלַ֤י יְמֻשֵּׁ֙נִי֙ אָבִ֔י וְהָיִ֥יתִי בְעֵינָ֖יו כִּמְתַעְתֵּ֑עַ וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י עָלַ֛י קְלָלָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א בְרָכָֽה׃
**Translation**
Suppose my father touches me. I will be in his eyes as an impostor. I will bring upon myself a curse—not a blessing.
**Onkelos**
מָאִים יְמֻשִּׁנַּנִי אַבָּא וְאֵהֵי בְעֵינוֹהִי כְּמִתְלָעָב וְאֵהֵי מַיְתֵי (נ''י וָאֱהִי מַיְתֵי) עֲלַי לְוָטִין וְלָא בִרְכָן
**Onkelos in English**
Suppose my father touches me. I will be in his eyes as a mocker. I will be bringing (another version: and I will be bringing) upon myself curses and not blessings.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"As a mocker".** The Hebrew כִּמְתַעְתֵּעַ is a rare form, from the root תעע. Onkelos renders it כְּמִתְלָעָב, a reflexive participle of לעב, 'to mock, make sport'. Where the Hebrew word may carry the sense of deceiving, the Aramaic has Yaakov fear that he will look as though he were making fun of his father. This is perhaps an interpretive choice for a word whose meaning is not obvious.
- **"I will be bringing".** For the single Hebrew verb וְהֵבֵאתִי the printed Onkelos has a compound, וְאֵהֵי מַיְתֵי, 'I will be' with the participle 'bringing'. The sense is the same; the form perhaps presents the consequence as a state Yaakov would be in rather than a single act. The alternative reading in parentheses differs from the main text only in vowels.
- **"Curses and not blessings".** The Hebrew nouns קְלָלָה and בְרָכָה are singular. Onkelos puts both in the plural, לְוָטִין and בִרְכָן.
- **"Suppose".** מָאִים renders the Hebrew אוּלַי, and אַבָּא stands for אָבִי, 'my father'.
- **Textual note.** Where the printed text has the compound וְאֵהֵי מַיְתֵי, 'I will be bringing', the Yemenite text has the simple verb וְאַיְתִי, 'I will bring', like the Hebrew. The note on the compound form holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** מָאִים *ma'im* — suppose (אוּלַי) · אַבָּא *abba* — my father (אָבִי) · כְּמִתְלָעָב *ke-mitla'av* — as a mocker (כִּמְתַעְתֵּעַ) · מַיְתֵי *maytei* — bringing (וְהֵבֵאתִי) · לְוָטִין *levatin* — curses (קְלָלָה) · בִרְכָן *virkhan* — blessings (בְרָכָה)
---
### Bereshit 27:13
**Torah**
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ אִמּ֔וֹ עָלַ֥י קִלְלָתְךָ֖ בְּנִ֑י אַ֛ךְ שְׁמַ֥ע בְּקֹלִ֖י וְלֵ֥ךְ קַֽח־לִֽי׃
**Translation**
His mother said to him, Your curse shall be upon me, my son; but listen to me. Go bring them to me.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמֶרֶת לֵהּ אִמֵּהּ עֲלַי אִתְאַמַּר בִּנְבוּאָה דְּלָא יֵיתוּן לְוָטַּיָּא עֲלָךְ בְּרִי בְּרַם קַבֵּל מִנִּי וְאִזְּיל סַב לִי
**Onkelos in English**
His mother said to him, Upon me it was said in prophecy that the curses will not come upon you, my son; but accept from me. Go bring [them] to me.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"It was said in prophecy that the curses will not come upon you".** The Hebrew has Rivkah accept the curse herself: עָלַי קִלְלָתְךָ, 'upon me be your curse'. Onkelos keeps the opening עֲלַי, but continues with a new statement: אִתְאַמַּר בִּנְבוּאָה, 'it was said in prophecy', that the curses will not come upon Yaakov. Here עֲלַי may mean 'to me' or 'concerning me'. Instead of a mother calling a curse down on herself, the Aramaic gives the basis of her confidence. Perhaps Onkelos preferred not to put a self-curse in Rivkah's mouth; that is an inference.
- **"The curses".** The Hebrew 'your curse' is singular, with a possessive suffix. Onkelos has the plural לְוָטַּיָּא, 'the curses', with 'upon you' (עֲלָךְ) as a separate word. The plural matches his לְוָטִין in 27:12.
- **"Accept from me".** The Hebrew שְׁמַע בְּקֹלִי, 'listen to my voice', becomes קַבֵּל מִנִּי, 'accept from me'. The idiom of hearing a voice is replaced by one of accepting instruction.
- **"Go bring [them]".** וְאִזְּיל סַב לִי follows the Hebrew וְלֵךְ קַח לִי word for word; סַב is the Aramaic for 'take'. 'But' is בְּרַם for אַךְ.
**Words to note:** אִתְאַמַּר *it'amar* — it was said · בִּנְבוּאָה *bi-nvu'ah* — in prophecy · יֵיתוּן *yetun* — will come · לְוָטַּיָּא *levatayya* — the curses (קִלְלָתְךָ) · קַבֵּל *kabbel* — accept (שְׁמַע) · סַב *sav* — take; rendered 'bring' here (קַח)
---
### Bereshit 27:14
**Torah**
וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ וַיִּקַּ֔ח וַיָּבֵ֖א לְאִמּ֑וֹ וַתַּ֤עַשׂ אִמּוֹ֙ מַטְעַמִּ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר אָהֵ֥ב אָבִֽיו׃
**Translation**
He went, took [them], and brought [them] to his mother. His mother made a tasty dish as his father liked.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲזַל וּנְסִיב וְאַיְתִי לְאִמֵּהּ וַעֲבָדַת אִמֵּהּ תַּבְשִׁילִין כְּמָא דִּרְחֵם אֲבוּהִי
**Onkelos in English**
He went, took [them], and brought [them] to his mother. His mother made cooked dishes as his father liked.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Cooked dishes".** The Hebrew מַטְעַמִּים, from the root טעם, 'taste', names the food by its flavour. Onkelos uses תַּבְשִׁילִין, from בשל, 'cook', naming it by its preparation. The same Aramaic word returns in 27:17.
- **"As his father liked".** כְּמָא דִּרְחֵם renders כַּאֲשֶׁר אָהֵב; the Hebrew verb of loving, אהב, is matched by the Aramaic רחם. A literal rendering otherwise: the three verbs 'went, took, brought' are kept in order (וַאֲזַל, וּנְסִיב, וְאַיְתִי).
**Words to note:** וַאֲזַל *va-azal* — he went (וַיֵּלֶךְ) · וּנְסִיב *u-nesiv* — took (וַיִּקַּח) · וְאַיְתִי *ve-ayti* — brought (וַיָּבֵא) · תַּבְשִׁילִין *tavshilin* — cooked dishes (מַטְעַמִּים) · דִּרְחֵם *di-rhem* — [that] liked (אָהֵב)
---
### Bereshit 27:15
**Torah**
וַתִּקַּ֣ח רִ֠בְקָ֠ה אֶת־בִּגְדֵ֨י עֵשָׂ֜ו בְּנָ֤הּ הַגָּדֹל֙ הַחֲמֻדֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִתָּ֖הּ בַּבָּ֑יִת וַתַּלְבֵּ֥שׁ אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּנָ֥הּ הַקָּטָֽן׃
**Translation**
Rivkah took the garments of Eisov, her elder son, [the garments] that were precious [to him] that were in her keeping in the house, and put them on Yaakov, her younger son.
**Onkelos**
וּנְסִיבַת רִבְקָה יָת לְבוּשֵׁי עֵשָׂו בְּרַהּ רַבָּא דָּכְיָתָא דִּי עִמַּהּ בְּבֵיתָא וְאַלְבִּישַׁת יָת יַעֲקֹב בְּרַהּ זְעֵירָא
**Onkelos in English**
Rivkah took the garments of Eisov, her elder son, the clean [ones], that were in her keeping in the house, and put them on Yaakov, her younger son.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The clean [ones]".** The Hebrew הַחֲמֻדֹת describes the garments as 'desirable' or 'precious'. Onkelos has דָּכְיָתָא, 'the clean ones', describing them by their condition rather than their worth. This may suggest that he understood the 'desirable' garments as the clean, fine set kept for special use; it is an inference.
- **"Elder ... younger".** The Hebrew pair הַגָּדֹל and הַקָּטָן, literally 'great' and 'small', becomes רַבָּא and זְעֵירָא, the ordinary Aramaic words for 'great' and 'small'. 'Son' is בְּרַהּ for בְּנָהּ, and 'garments' לְבוּשֵׁי for בִּגְדֵי.
- **"Put them on".** וְאַלְבִּישַׁת is the causative 'clothe', matching the Hebrew וַתַּלְבֵּשׁ. The phrase 'that were in her keeping' is דִּי עִמַּהּ, literally 'which [were] with her'.
**Words to note:** וּנְסִיבַת *u-nesivat* — took (וַתִּקַּח) · לְבוּשֵׁי *levushei* — the garments of (בִּגְדֵי) · רַבָּא *rabba* — elder (הַגָּדֹל) · דָּכְיָתָא *dakhyata* — the clean [ones] (הַחֲמֻדֹת) · וְאַלְבִּישַׁת *ve-albishat* — and put [them] on (וַתַּלְבֵּשׁ) · זְעֵירָא *ze'eira* — younger (הַקָּטָן)
---
### Bereshit 27:16
**Torah**
וְאֵ֗ת עֹרֹת֙ גְּדָיֵ֣י הָֽעִזִּ֔ים הִלְבִּ֖ישָׁה עַל־יָדָ֑יו וְעַ֖ל חֶלְקַ֥ת צַוָּארָֽיו׃
**Translation**
The skins of the young goats she placed on his hands and the smooth part of his neck.
**Onkelos**
וְיָת מַשְׁכֵי גַּדְיֵי בַּר עִזֵּי אַלְבִּישַׁת עַל יְדוֹהִי וְעַל שְׁעִיעוּת צַוְרֵהּ
**Onkelos in English**
The skins of the kids, offspring of goats, she placed on his hands and the smooth part of his neck.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The kids, offspring of goats".** The Hebrew construct גְּדָיֵי הָעִזִּים, 'kids of the goats', becomes גַּדְיֵי בַּר עִזֵּי, with בַּר, literally 'son of', between the two nouns. The phrase marks the young animals as belonging to the goat kind; the sense is unchanged. The skins are מַשְׁכֵי for the Hebrew עֹרֹת.
- **"The smooth part".** The Hebrew חֶלְקַת is matched by the abstract noun שְׁעִיעוּת, 'smoothness', from the same root as שְׁעִיעַ in 27:11 (see the note there).
- **"His neck".** The Hebrew צַוָּארָיו has a plural form; Onkelos has the singular צַוְרֵהּ. 'His hands', יְדוֹהִי, stays plural like יָדָיו.
- **Textual note.** For גַּדְיֵי בַּר the Yemenite text reads דִּגְדֵי בְנֵי, 'of kids, sons of', with the relative ד and the plural 'sons'. The meaning is the same, but the construction differs from the printed text discussed in the note.
**Words to note:** מַשְׁכֵי *mashkhei* — the skins of (עֹרֹת) · גַּדְיֵי *gadyei* — kids (גְּדָיֵי) · בַּר *bar* — offspring of (literally 'son of') · עִזֵּי *izzei* — goats (הָעִזִּים) · שְׁעִיעוּת *she'iut* — the smooth part (literally 'smoothness') (חֶלְקַת) · צַוְרֵהּ *tzavreh* — his neck (צַוָּארָיו)
---
### Bereshit 27:17
**Torah**
וַתִּתֵּ֧ן אֶת־הַמַּטְעַמִּ֛ים וְאֶת־הַלֶּ֖חֶם אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑תָה בְּיַ֖ד יַעֲקֹ֥ב בְּנָֽהּ׃
**Translation**
She placed the tasty dish and the bread which she had made, in the hand of Yaakov, her son.
**Onkelos**
וִיהָבַת יָת תַּבְשִׁילַיָּא וְיָת לַחְמָא דִּי עֲבָדַת בִּידָא דְיַעֲקֹב בְּרַהּ
**Onkelos in English**
She placed the cooked dishes and the bread which she had made, in the hand of Yaakov, her son.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The cooked dishes".** As in 27:14, the Hebrew הַמַּטְעַמִּים is rendered תַּבְשִׁילַיָּא, from the root בשל, 'cook'.
- **"In the hand of Yaakov".** The Hebrew construct בְּיַד יַעֲקֹב is opened up with ד: בִּידָא דְיַעֲקֹב. The sense is unchanged. Otherwise a literal rendering, with וִיהָבַת, 'gave', for וַתִּתֵּן.
**Words to note:** וִיהָבַת *vi-havat* — she placed (וַתִּתֵּן) · תַּבְשִׁילַיָּא *tavshilayya* — the cooked dishes (הַמַּטְעַמִּים) · לַחְמָא *lahma* — the bread (הַלֶּחֶם) · בִּידָא *bi-yda* — in the hand (בְּיַד)
---
### Bereshit 27:18
**Torah**
וַיָּבֹ֥א אֶל־אָבִ֖יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָבִ֑י וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הִנֶּ֔נִּי מִ֥י אַתָּ֖ה בְּנִֽי׃
**Translation**
He came to his father and said, My father. [Yitzchok] said, Here I am. Who are you my son?
**Onkelos**
וְעַל לְוַת אֲבוּהִי וַאֲמַר אַבָּא וַאֲמַר הָא אֲנָא מָן אַתְּ בְּרִי
**Onkelos in English**
He went in to his father and said, My father. [Yitzchok] said, Here I am. Who are you my son?
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"He went in".** The Hebrew וַיָּבֹא, 'he came', is rendered וְעַל, from עלל, 'enter'. The Aramaic pictures Yaakov entering where his father was; the Hebrew verb can carry this sense too, so the change is small. 'To' is לְוַת for the Hebrew אֶל.
- **"Here I am".** The Hebrew הִנֶּנִּי is rendered by two words, הָא אֲנָא, literally 'behold, I'. 'My father' is אַבָּא for אָבִי, and 'who' is מָן for מִי. A literal rendering.
**Words to note:** וְעַל *ve-'al* — he went in (וַיָּבֹא) · לְוַת *levat* — to (אֶל) · אַבָּא *abba* — my father (אָבִי) · אֲנָא *ana* — I (הִנֶּנִּי) · מָן *man* — who (מִי)
---
### Unit 4 summary
For most of the unit Onkelos is close and literal, and his changes cluster in the dialogue. The largest is in 27:13: Rivkah's 'upon me be your curse' becomes 'upon me it was said in prophecy that the curses will not come upon you', perhaps to avoid putting a self-curse in her mouth. In 27:12 the rare כִּמְתַעְתֵּעַ is rendered as 'a mocker' (כְּמִתְלָעָב), and both curse and blessing become plural, a plural carried into 'the curses' of 27:13. Some changes concern vocabulary: the 'tasty dishes' are 'cooked dishes' (תַּבְשִׁילִין) in 27:14 and 27:17, Eisov's 'desirable' garments are 'the clean ones' (דָּכְיָתָא), 'listen to my voice' becomes 'accept from me', and Yaakov 'goes in' rather than 'comes' to his father. Onkelos keeps the Hebrew link between Yaakov's smooth skin in 27:11 and the smooth part of his neck in 27:16 by using one Aramaic root, שעע, in both verses.
---
## Unit 5 — Bereshit 27:19–27: The voice of Yaakov, the hands of Eisov
Yaakov comes before his blind father as Eisov. Yitzchok questions how the hunt was so quick, touches him and hears Yaakov's voice yet feels Eisov's hands, then eats, drinks, kisses him and, smelling his garments, begins to bless him.
---
### Bereshit 27:19
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֜ב אֶל־אָבִ֗יו אָנֹכִי֙ עֵשָׂ֣ו בְּכֹרֶ֔ךָ עָשִׂ֕יתִי כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתָּ אֵלָ֑י קֽוּם־נָ֣א שְׁבָ֗ה וְאׇכְלָה֙ מִצֵּידִ֔י בַּעֲב֖וּר תְּבָרְכַ֥נִּי נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
**Translation**
Yaakov said to his father, It is I, Eisov your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Rise, if you please, sit up and eat of my trapping so that your soul will bless me.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר יַעֲקֹב לַאֲבוּהִי אֲנָא עֵשָׂו בּוּכְרָךְ עֲבָדִית כּמָא דִי מַלֵּילְתָּא עִמִּי (נ''י:לִי) קוּם כְּעַן אִסְתַּחַר וֶאֱכוּל מִצֵידִי בְּדִיל דִּי תְבָרְכִנַּנִּי נַפְשָׁךְ
**Onkelos in English**
Yaakov said to his father, It is I, Eisov your firstborn. I have done as you spoke with me (another version: to me). Rise now, turn around and eat of my trapping so that your soul will bless me.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"It is I, Eisov your firstborn".** Yaakov's claim is translated word for word: *ana Esav bukhrakh* (אֲנָא עֵשָׂו בּוּכְרָךְ). Onkelos neither softens nor qualifies the statement.
- **"As you spoke with me".** The Hebrew *dibbarta elai*, "you spoke to me", becomes *malleilta immi* (מַלֵּילְתָּא עִמִּי), "you spoke with me", with the preposition of conversation rather than of address. The printed text gives *li*, "to me", as an alternative reading, which matches the Hebrew preposition more closely.
- **"Rise now".** The Hebrew particle of request *na* is rendered *ke'an* (כְּעַן), "now". Onkelos does the same with *na* in 27:21 and 27:26.
- **"Turn around".** For the Hebrew *shevah*, "sit", Onkelos does not use a verb of sitting but *istahar* (אִסְתַּחַר), from סחר, "go around, turn". This may picture a man lying down who turns himself about to sit up and eat, or a diner reclining at a meal; either way the Aramaic describes the movement rather than simply the posture.
- **"So that your soul will bless me".** A literal rendering: *bedil di*, "so that", for *ba'avur*, and *nafshakh*, "your soul", kept as in the Hebrew.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads *de-malleilta immi* (דְּמַלֵּילְתָּא עִמִּי) with no alternative; the printed parenthetical *li*, "to me", is absent there.
**Words to note:** בּוּכְרָךְ *bukhrakh* — your firstborn (בְּכֹרֶךָ) · מַלֵּילְתָּא *malleilta* — you spoke (דִּבַּרְתָּ) · כְּעַן *ke'an* — now (נָא) · אִסְתַּחַר *istahar* — turn around (שְׁבָה) · בְּדִיל *bedil* — so that (lit. for the sake of) (בַּעֲבוּר)
---
### Bereshit 27:20
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִצְחָק֙ אֶל־בְּנ֔וֹ מַה־זֶּ֛ה מִהַ֥רְתָּ לִמְצֹ֖א בְּנִ֑י וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֥י הִקְרָ֛ה ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ לְפָנָֽי׃
**Translation**
Yitzchok said to his son, How is it that you found it so quickly my son? He [Yaakov] said, Because Hashem, your God, brought it about for me.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר יִצְחָק לִבְרֵהּ מָה דֵּין אוֹחֵיתָא לְאַשְׁכָּחָא בְּרִי וַאֲמַר אֲרֵי זַמִּין ה׳ אֱלָהָךְ קֳדָמַי
**Onkelos in English**
Yitzchok said to his son, How is it that you found it so quickly my son? He said, Because Hashem, your God, prepared it for me.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"How is it that you found it so quickly".** A literal rendering: *ma dein*, "what is this", for *mah zeh*; *oheita*, "you hastened", for *miharta*; and *le-ashkaha*, "to find", the usual Aramaic verb, for *limtzo*.
- **"Prepared it".** The Hebrew *hikrah* (הִקְרָה), from קרה, "happen, occur", says that Hashem "made it happen". Onkelos writes *zammin* (זַמִּין), "prepared, arranged". The Hebrew verb is related to words for chance; the Aramaic speaks only of something made ready. This may reflect a preference for wording that leaves no suggestion of accident in an act ascribed to God, though the Hebrew too names Hashem as the cause.
- **"For me".** The Hebrew *lefanai*, "before me", is matched exactly by *kodamai* (קֳדָמַי), "before me".
**Words to note:** אוֹחֵיתָא *oheita* — you hastened (found it so quickly) (מִהַרְתָּ) · לְאַשְׁכָּחָא *le-ashkaha* — to find (לִמְצֹא) · זַמִּין *zammin* — prepared (הִקְרָה) · קֳדָמַי *kodamai* — before me (for me) (לְפָנָי)
---
### Bereshit 27:21
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִצְחָק֙ אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֔ב גְּשָׁה־נָּ֥א וַאֲמֻֽשְׁךָ֖ בְּנִ֑י הַֽאַתָּ֥ה זֶ֛ה בְּנִ֥י עֵשָׂ֖ו אִם־לֹֽא׃
**Translation**
Yitzchok said to Yaakov, Come close, if you please, and let me touch you, my son. Are you my son Eisov or not?
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר יִצְחָק לְיַעֲקֹב קְרֵיב כְּעַן וֶאֱמֻשִּׁנָּךְ בְּרִי הַאַתְּ דֵּין בְּרִי עֵשָׂו אִם לָא
**Onkelos in English**
Yitzchok said to Yaakov, Come close now and let me touch you, my son. Are you my son Eisov or not?
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Come close now".** For the Hebrew *geshah na* (גְּשָׁה נָּא) Onkelos writes *kereiv ke'an* (קְרֵיב כְּעַן), from קרב. Every form of the Hebrew verb of approaching in these verses (*geshah*, *va-yiggash*, *haggishah*, *va-yaggesh*), "come close" and "bring close" alike, is rendered with קרב (27:21, 27:22, 27:25 twice, 27:26, 27:27).
- **"Let me touch you".** Onkelos uses the cognate verb: Hebrew *va-amushkha* (וַאֲמֻשְׁךָ) becomes *ve-emushinnakh* (וֶאֱמֻשִּׁנָּךְ). The question "Are you my son Eisov or not?" is also literal, with *dein*, "this", for *zeh*.
**Words to note:** קְרֵיב *kereiv* — come close (גְּשָׁה) · וֶאֱמֻשִּׁנָּךְ *ve-emushinnakh* — and let me touch you (וַאֲמֻשְׁךָ) · הַאַתְּ *ha-at* — are you (הַאַתָּה)
---
### Bereshit 27:22
**Torah**
וַיִּגַּ֧שׁ יַעֲקֹ֛ב אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק אָבִ֖יו וַיְמֻשֵּׁ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הַקֹּל֙ ק֣וֹל יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְהַיָּדַ֖יִם יְדֵ֥י עֵשָֽׂו׃
**Translation**
Yaakov came close to Yitzchok, his father, and he [Yitzchok] touched him. He said, The voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Eisov.
**Onkelos**
וּקְרֵיב יַעֲקֹב לְוַת יִצְחָק אֲבוּהִי וּמָשְׁיֵהּ וַאֲמַר קָלָא קָלָא דְיַעֲקֹב וִידַיָּא יְדוֹהִי דְעֵשָׂו
**Onkelos in English**
Yaakov came close to Yitzchok, his father, and he touched him. He said, The voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Eisov.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The voice is the voice of Yaakov".** Where the Hebrew uses construct chains (*kol Ya'akov*, *yedei Esav*), Onkelos marks possession with the particle ד: *kala de-Ya'akov* (קָלָא דְיַעֲקֹב), and for the hands *yedohi de-Esav* (יְדוֹהִי דְעֵשָׂו), literally "his hands, of Eisov", an Aramaic idiom that anticipates the owner with a suffix. The meaning is unchanged, and the balanced contrast of voice and hands is kept without explanation.
- **"He touched him".** *U-mashyeh* (וּמָשְׁיֵהּ) renders *vay-mushehu* with the cognate verb, as in 27:21. *Levat*, "to", renders *el*.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text distributes the idiom the other way: *kaleih de-Ya'akov* (קָלֵיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב), "his voice, of Yaakov", but *yedei Esav* (יְדֵי עֵשָׂו), a plain construct as in the Hebrew. The meaning is the same; the remark on the two constructions holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** לְוַת *levat* — to (אֶל) · וּמָשְׁיֵהּ *u-mashyeh* — and he touched him (וַיְמֻשֵּׁהוּ) · קָלָא *kala* — the voice (הַקֹּל) · יְדוֹהִי *yedohi* — the hands (lit. his hands) (יְדֵי)
---
### Bereshit 27:23
**Torah**
וְלֹ֣א הִכִּיר֔וֹ כִּֽי־הָי֣וּ יָדָ֗יו כִּידֵ֛י עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִ֖יו שְׂעִרֹ֑ת וַֽיְבָרְכֵֽהוּ׃
**Translation**
He [Yitzchok] did not recognize him because his hands were like those of Eisov, his brother—they were hairy—and [thus] he blessed him.
**Onkelos**
וְלָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעֵהּ אֲרֵי הֲוָאָה יְדוֹהִי כִּידֵי עֵשָׂו אֲחוּהִי שְׂעִירָן (נ''י שַׂעֲרַנְיָן) וּבָרְכֵהּ
**Onkelos in English**
He did not recognize him because his hands were like those of Eisov, his brother—they were hairy (another version: full of hair)—and he blessed him.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"He did not recognize him".** The Hebrew *hikkiro* (הִכִּירוֹ) becomes *ishtemode'eh* (אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעֵהּ), a form of ידע, "know": Onkelos expresses recognition as knowing.
- **"Like those of Eisov".** The word *kidei*, "like the hands of", is identical in both texts (כִּידֵי). "Hairy" is also kept: Hebrew *se'irot* and Aramaic *se'iran* (שְׂעִירָן) share the root שער and are both feminine plural, agreeing with "hands".
- **"And he blessed him".** *U-varkheh* (וּבָרְכֵהּ) renders *vay-varkhehu* with the same root, ברך.
- **Textual note.** For "hairy" the printed text gives an alternative, *sa'aranyan* (שַׂעֲרַנְיָן), a fuller adjective of the same root; the Yemenite text has this form, spelled with ס: *sa'aranyan* (סַעֲרָנְיָן). The meaning is the same.
**Words to note:** אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעֵהּ *ishtemode'eh* — recognize him (הִכִּירוֹ) · הֲוָאָה *havaah* — were (הָיוּ) · כִּידֵי *kidei* — like those of (כִּידֵי) · שְׂעִירָן *se'iran* — hairy (שְׂעִרֹת)
---
### Bereshit 27:24
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אַתָּ֥ה זֶ֖ה בְּנִ֣י עֵשָׂ֑ו וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָֽנִי׃
**Translation**
He said, Are you indeed my son, Eisov? [Yaakov] said, I am.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר אַתְּ דֵּין בְּרִי עֵשָׂו וַאֲמַר הָא אֲנָא
**Onkelos in English**
He said, Are you indeed my son, Eisov? He said, Behold, I am.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Behold, I am".** The Hebrew answer is a single word, *ani*. Onkelos adds *ha* (הָא), "behold, here": *ha ana*. The addition may simply be the natural Aramaic way of answering "it is I", or perhaps gives the reply a more emphatic, presentative tone.
- **One word for two pronouns.** Yaakov's "I" is *anokhi* in 27:19 and *ani* here; Onkelos renders both *ana* (אֲנָא).
- **"Are you indeed".** *At dein*, "you, this", follows the Hebrew *attah zeh* exactly.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text lacks *ha* and reads only *ana* (אֲנָא), "I", exactly as the Hebrew. The remark on the added word holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** אַתְּ דֵּין *at dein* — are you indeed (lit. you this) (אַתָּה זֶה) · הָא *ha* — behold · אֲנָא *ana* — I (אָנִי)
---
### Bereshit 27:25
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הַגִּ֤שָׁה לִּי֙ וְאֹֽכְלָה֙ מִצֵּ֣יד בְּנִ֔י לְמַ֥עַן תְּבָֽרֶכְךָ֖ נַפְשִׁ֑י וַיַּגֶּשׁ־לוֹ֙ וַיֹּאכַ֔ל וַיָּ֧בֵא ל֦וֹ יַ֖יִן וַיֵּֽשְׁתְּ׃
**Translation**
He said, Bring it close to me and I will eat from my son's trappings, so that my soul will bless you. He brought it close to him and he ate. He [then] brought him wine and he drank.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר קָרֵיב קֳדָמַי וְאֵיכוּל מִצֵידָא דִּבְרִי בְּדִיל דִּי תְבָרְכִנָּךְ נַפְשִׁי וְקָרֵיב לֵהּ וַאֲכַל וְאַיְתִי (נ''י וְאָעֵל) לֵהּ חַמְרָא וּשְׁתִי
**Onkelos in English**
He said, Bring it close before me and I will eat from my son's trappings, so that my soul will bless you. He brought it close to him and he ate. He brought (another version: brought in) him wine and he drank.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Bring it close before me".** The causative "bring close", Hebrew *haggishah* (הַגִּשָׁה), becomes *kareiv* (קָרֵיב), from קרב, the same root Onkelos uses for "come close" in 27:21-22. The link the Hebrew makes between coming close and bringing close is thus kept. For *li*, "to me", Onkelos writes *kodamai* (קֳדָמַי), "before me", the expression for setting food in front of someone.
- **"So that".** The Hebrew changes conjunction, *ba'avur* in 27:19 and *lema'an* here; Onkelos uses *bedil di* for both, so the two "so that ... will bless" clauses read alike in the Aramaic.
- **"He brought him wine".** *Ve-ayti* (וְאַיְתִי), "he brought", renders *va-yave*; the printed text offers *ve-a'el* (וְאָעֵל), "he brought in", as an alternative. Wine is *hamra* (חַמְרָא), the ordinary Aramaic word for *yayin*.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads *kareiv li* (קָרֵיב לִי), "bring close to me", as in the Hebrew; the remark on "before me" holds for the printed text only. It also reads *ve-a'eil* (וְאַעֵיל), "he brought in", agreeing with the printed alternative.
**Words to note:** קָרֵיב *kareiv* — bring close (הַגִּשָׁה) · קֳדָמַי *kodamai* — before me (לִּי) · מִצֵידָא *mi-tzeida* — from the trappings (מִצֵּיד) · וְאַיְתִי *ve-ayti* — he brought (וַיָּבֵא) · חַמְרָא *hamra* — wine (יַיִן)
---
### Bereshit 27:26
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו יִצְחָ֣ק אָבִ֑יו גְּשָׁה־נָּ֥א וּשְׁקָה־לִּ֖י בְּנִֽי׃
**Translation**
His father Yitzchok said to him, Come close to me and kiss me, my son.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר לֵהּ יִצְחָק אֲבוּהִי קְרֵיב כְּעַן וּנְשַׁק לִי (נ''י וְשַׁק לִי) בְּרִי
**Onkelos in English**
His father Yitzchok said to him, Come close now and kiss me (another version: and kiss me), my son.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Come close now and kiss me".** A literal rendering. As in 27:21, *geshah na* becomes *kereiv ke'an* (קְרֵיב כְּעַן), "come close now". "Kiss" keeps the root of the Hebrew, נשק: *u-neshak* (וּנְשַׁק).
- **Textual note.** The printed text gives an alternative, *ve-shak li* (וְשַׁק לִי), the same verb with its *nun* assimilated; the Yemenite text reads only this form (וְשַׁק). The meaning does not change.
**Words to note:** קְרֵיב *kereiv* — come close (גְּשָׁה) · וּנְשַׁק *u-neshak* — and kiss (וּשְׁקָה)
---
### Bereshit 27:27
**Torah**
וַיִּגַּשׁ֙ וַיִּשַּׁק־ל֔וֹ וַיָּ֛רַח אֶת־רֵ֥יחַ בְּגָדָ֖יו וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר רְאֵה֙ רֵ֣יחַ בְּנִ֔י כְּרֵ֣יחַ שָׂדֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֵּרְכ֖וֹ ה׳׃
**Translation**
He came close and kissed him. He [Yitzchok] smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him. He said, See, my son's fragrance is like the fragrance of a field blessed by Hashem.
**Onkelos**
וּקְרֵב וּנְשַׁק לֵהּ וַאֲרַח יָת רֵיחָא דִּלְבוּשׁוֹהִי וּבָרְכֵהּ וַאֲמַר חֲזֵי רֵיחָא דִּבְרִי כְּרֵיחָא דְחַקְלָא דִּי בָרֲכֵהּ ה׳
**Onkelos in English**
He came close and kissed him. He smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him. He said, See, my son's fragrance is like the fragrance of a field blessed by Hashem.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"He smelled the fragrance".** In the Hebrew the verb *va-yarah* and the noun *re'ah* share a root; Onkelos keeps the pairing with *va-arah* (וַאֲרַח) and *reiha* (רֵיחָא). "Fragrance" occurs three times in each text, so the sound pattern of the verse survives in the Aramaic.
- **"Of his garments".** *Di-levushohi* (דִּלְבוּשׁוֹהִי) uses *levush*, "garment", for *begadav*, with possession marked by ד, as in 27:22.
- **"Blessed by Hashem".** The same verb, ברך, describes Yitzchok blessing Yaakov (*u-varkheh*) and Hashem blessing the field (*varakheh*), as in the Hebrew. "Field" is *hakla* (דְחַקְלָא), and "see" is *hazei* (חֲזֵי).
**Words to note:** וַאֲרַח *va-arah* — he smelled (וַיָּרַח) · רֵיחָא *reiha* — the fragrance (רֵיחַ) · דִּלְבוּשׁוֹהִי *di-levushohi* — of his garments (בְּגָדָיו) · חֲזֵי *hazei* — see (רְאֵה) · דְחַקְלָא *de-hakla* — of a field (שָׂדֶה)
---
### Unit 5 summary
Onkelos renders the encounter closely and translates Yaakov's claims ("It is I, Eisov your firstborn") word for word. His changes are mostly of vocabulary and idiom: the particle *na* becomes *ke'an*, "now", each time; every form of the Hebrew verb for "come close" and "bring close" is rendered with קרב; "sit" becomes *istahar*, "turn around"; and the two Hebrew conjunctions for "so that" share one Aramaic phrase. Two small shifts touch the meaning: Hashem "prepared" the game rather than "made it happen", and Yaakov answers "Behold, I am" rather than a bare "I". Possession is marked with ד, including the idiom "his hands, of Eisov", while the wordplay of smelling and fragrance and the single verb for Yitzchok's and Hashem's blessing are kept.
---
## Conclusion of the aliyah
### The movement of the aliyah
The aliyah moves from peace to rivalry. It begins with a covenant meal, an oath "a man to his brother", a parting in peace and the discovery of water, all rendered by Onkelos with his ordinary Aramaic equivalents. The short notice of Eisov's marriages turns the mood, and here Onkelos gives the Hebrew's terse "rebellion of spirit" a concrete form. The long scene of the blessing then unfolds in dialogue: Yitzchok's charge to Eisov, Rivkah's instructions, Yaakov's fear, the disguise, and the encounter between Yaakov and his father. Through this scene Onkelos stays close to the Hebrew, translating even Yaakov's claim "It is I, Eisov your firstborn" word for word; his changes are mostly matters of Aramaic idiom and vocabulary, with one larger addition in Rivkah's answer to Yaakov's fear of a curse.
### What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah
1. **"The Well of Sheva" (26:33).** The printed text spells out the name as *be'era de-sheva* (בְּאֵרָא דְשֶׁבַע), which may tie it to the well of 26:32; a reading noted in the printed text, and the Yemenite text, keep *Be'er Sheva* unchanged.
2. **"Defiant and provoking" (26:35).** Two participles (מְסָרְבָן וּמְרַגְּזָן) replace the single phrase *morat ruah*, perhaps to convey both the wives' defiance and the anger it caused, and *al meimar* (עַל מֵימַר) directs that defiance at what Yitzchok and Rivkah said.
3. **"And now take, now" (27:3).** One Aramaic word, *ke'an*, stands for both *ve-'attah* and *na*, producing a repetition the Hebrew does not have.
4. **"Your sword" (27:3).** For the rare *telyekha* Onkelos commits to one specific meaning, *sayfakh*, and the general *kelekha* becomes *zeinakh*, "your weapons", which may reflect the context of hunting.
5. **"Cooked dishes" (27:4).** *Tavshilin* describes the food by how it is prepared rather than by its flavour, and the rendering holds through the passage.
6. **"Accept from me" (27:8).** The image of hearing a voice gives way to the plain sense of obeying; Rivkah uses the same words again in 27:13.
7. **"As a mocker" (27:12).** The rare *kimta'te'a* becomes *ke-mitla'av* (כְּמִתְלָעָב): Yaakov fears looking as though he were making fun of his father, perhaps an interpretive choice for an unclear word. Curse and blessing both become plural.
8. **"It was said in prophecy" (27:13).** Onkelos keeps Rivkah's opening "upon me" but continues with *it'amar bi-nvu'ah* (אִתְאַמַּר בִּנְבוּאָה), that the curses will not come upon Yaakov. The note suggests, as an inference, that he preferred not to put a self-curse in her mouth.
9. **"The clean ones" (27:15).** Eisov's "desirable" garments become *dakhyata* (דָּכְיָתָא), described by their condition rather than their worth; the note offers this as an inference.
10. **"Turn around" (27:19).** For *shevah*, "sit", Onkelos writes *istahar* (אִסְתַּחַר), describing the movement of turning to sit up and eat rather than the posture.
11. **"Hashem prepared it" (27:20).** *Zammin* (זַמִּין), "prepared", replaces *hikrah*, a verb related to words for chance; this may reflect a preference for wording that leaves no suggestion of accident in an act ascribed to God.
12. **"The voice of Yaakov" (27:22).** Possession is marked with ד, as in *kala de-Ya'akov* (דְיַעֲקֹב) and "his hands, of Eisov", and the contrast of voice and hands is kept without explanation.
### Recurring features
- **A literal base.** Many verses are described in the notes as literal renderings, and through the narrative, from the feast to the kiss, Onkelos follows the Hebrew closely, translating verb for verb and keeping its idioms where Aramaic allows.
- **Hebrew constructions recast as Aramaic ones.** Construct chains are often opened up with ד, as in "the name of the city" (26:33) and "the voice of Yaakov" (27:22); an infinitive becomes a clause with a finite verb (*kad mallil*, 27:5), a Hebrew perfect becomes a present phrase (*leit ana yeda*, 27:2), and the one-word *hineni* becomes *ha ana* (27:1, 27:18).
- **One Aramaic word for several Hebrew words.** *Ke'an* serves for *na* and *ve-'attah*; *ana* for both *anokhi* and *ani*; *bedil di* for both *ba'avur* and *lema'an*; and *kodam* for *lifnei* in "before Hashem, before my death" (27:7), keeping the Hebrew repetition.
- **One Hebrew word, several Aramaic words.** The verb "bring" is rendered both "bring in" and "bring" (27:4, 27:5, 27:7), and the printed alternatives at 27:10 and 27:25 offer "bring in" for "bring"; the preposition *el* becomes *levat* or *'im* depending on the verse (27:5, 27:6).
- **Shared roots kept.** Where the Hebrew builds a link from one root, Onkelos usually finds an Aramaic root that does the same: feast and drink, trap and game, smooth and smoothness, come close and bring close, smell and fragrance, and the single verb ברך for Yitzchok's blessing and Hashem's (27:27).
- **Plain sense over image.** Expressions are rendered by their meaning: "accept from me" for "listen to my voice", "weapons" for "gear", "turn around" for "sit", "prepared" for "made it happen".
- **Printed and Yemenite readings diverge.** In several places the Yemenite text stands closer to the Hebrew than the printed text, and in others it agrees with the printed text's own parenthetical alternative; the notes say when a point holds for the printed text only.
### Aliyah takeaway
In this aliyah Onkelos is above all a close translator of a story of disguise. He does not soften Yaakov's "It is I, Eisov your firstborn", and he keeps the balanced contrast of the voice of Yaakov and the hands of Eisov without comment. His interventions are small and selective: food named by its preparation, idioms resolved into plain speech, a rare word given one meaning, and a few places, above all Rivkah's prophecy in 27:13 and Hashem's "preparing" of the game in 27:20, where the notes cautiously suggest a concern with how something is put. Read alongside the Hebrew, the Aramaic shows both how much of the text a close, idiomatic translation carries across and the few points at which the translator chose to say more.
---
## Aramaic word list for the aliyah
| Aramaic | Transliteration | Meaning | Hebrew in the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| וַעֲבַד | *va'avad* | he made | וַיַּעַשׂ |
| מִשְׁתְּיָא | *mishteya* | a feast | מִשְׁתֶּה |
| וּשְׁתִיאוּ | *u-shti'u* | and they drank | וַיִּשְׁתּוּ |
| וְאַקְדִימוּ | *ve-akdimu* | and they got up early | וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ |
| בְצַפְרָא | *vetzafra* | in the morning | בַבֹּקֶר |
| וְקַיִּימוּ | *ve-kayyimu* | and they swore (literally, confirmed) | וַיִּשָּׁבְעוּ |
| גְּבַר | *gevar* | a man (here: each) | אִישׁ |
| מִלְוָתֵהּ | *mi-levateh* | from him | מֵאִתּוֹ |
| בִּשְׁלָם | *bi-shlam* | in peace | בְּשָׁלוֹם |
| עֵיסַק | *eisak* | the matter | אֹדוֹת |
| בֵּירָא | *beira* | the well | הַבְּאֵר |
| אַשְׁכַּחְנָא | *ashkahna* | we have found | מָצָאנוּ |
| דְקַרְתָּא | *de-karta* | of the city | הָעִיר |
| בְּאֵרָא | *be'era* | the Well | בְּאֵר |
| דְשֶׁבַע | *de-sheva* | of Sheva | שֶׁבַע |
| בַּר | *bar* | old (literally, son of) | בֶּן |
| שְׁנִין | *shenin* | years | שָׁנָה |
| וּנְסִיב | *u-nesiv* | and he took | וַיִּקַּח |
| אִתְּתָא | *itteta* | a wife | אִשָּׁה |
| חִתָּאָה | *hitta'ah* | the Chitite | הַחִתִּי |
| וַהֲוָאָה | *va-hava'ah* | they were (feminine) | וַתִּהְיֶיןָ |
| מְסָרְבָן | *mesarvan* | defiant | מֹרַת |
| וּמְרַגְּזָן | *u-meraggezan* | and provoking | — |
| מֵימַר | *meimar* | the word | — |
| סִיב | *siv* | grew old | זָקֵן |
| וְכָהֲיָּא | *ve-khahayya* | [and] faded | וַתִּכְהֶיןָ |
| מִלְּמֶחֱזֵי | *mil-mehezei* | from seeing | מֵרְאֹת |
| רַבָּה | *rabbah* | elder (literally 'great') | הַגָּדֹל |
| הָא אָנָא | *ha ana* | here I am (literally 'behold, I') | הִנֵּנִי |
| כְעַן | *khe'an* | now | נָא |
| לֵית אֲנָא יְדַע | *leit ana yeda* | I do not know | יָדַעְתִּי |
| יוֹמָא דְאֵימוּת | *yoma de-eimut* | the day that I will die | — |
| וּכְעַן | *u-khe'an* | and now | וְעַתָּה |
| זֵינָךְ | *zeinakh* | your weapons | כֵלֶיךָ |
| סַיְפָךְ | *sayfakh* | your sword | תֶּלְיְךָ |
| לְחַקְלָא | *le-hakla* | to the field | הַשָּׂדֶה |
| צֵידָא | *tzeida* | game | צַיִד |
| תַבְשִׁילִין | *tavshilin* | cooked dishes | מַטְעַמִּים |
| דִרְחֵימִית | *di-rheimit* | [that] I like | אָהַבְתִּי |
| וְאָעֵל | *ve-a'el* | and bring in | וְהָבִיאָה |
| עַד לָא אֵימוּת | *'ad la eimut* | before I die | בְּטֶרֶם אָמוּת |
| שְׁמַעַת | *shema'at* | was listening | שֹׁמַעַת |
| כַּד מַלִּיל | *kad mallil* | when [he] spoke | בְּדַבֵּר |
| לְוַת | *levat* | to | אֶל |
| לְאַיְתָאָה | *le-ayta'a* | to bring | לְהָבִיא |
---
## Source note
**Aliyah boundary.** Bereshit 26:30 – 27:27, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria's index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 27:28).
**Torah text.** *Miqra according to the Masorah* (CC-BY-SA), the Masoretic text based on the Aleppo Codex, from Wikisource via [Sefaria](https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis?lang=he).
**Targum Onkelos.** The Aramaic is the commonly printed text, from the Torat Emet edition (Public Domain), via [Sefaria](https://www.sefaria.org/Onkelos_Genesis?lang=he).
**Comparison text.** "Targum Onkelos, vocalized according to the Yemenite Taj" (CC-BY-SA), from Wikisource via Sefaria. Its readings were compared with the printed text word by word; only differences that change a word or the meaning are noted.
**Translation of the Torah.** *Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009* (CC-BY), via Sefaria, with the Divine Names rendered Hashem and God.
**Translation of Onkelos, notes and summaries.** New, prepared for this booklet. The Onkelos translation follows the wording of the Torah translation wherever the Aramaic agrees with the Hebrew, so that the differences stand out.
**Divine Names.** In the Hebrew and Aramaic, the Tetragrammaton and the Aramaic abbreviation of the Name are printed as ה׳, and *Elokim* as אלקים.
**Notes.** The notes compare the Aramaic with the Hebrew only. No later commentaries on Onkelos have been used. Where a note suggests why Onkelos translated as he did, this is presented as an inference from the text.
**Licence.** The Hebrew and Aramaic texts are shared under their own licences as stated above; CC-BY-SA material remains under CC-BY-SA.