# Torah with Onkelos
## Parashat Toldot — Sixth Aliyah
### Bereshit 27:28 – 28:4
*Yitzchok's blessings, Eisov's cry and anger, and Yaakov sent to Padan Aram, read through Targum Onkelos*
---
## Contents
- [Orientation](#orientation)
- [How this booklet is laid out](#layout)
- [Unit 1 — Bereshit 27:28–35: The end of Yaakov's blessing, and Eisov's return](#unit-1)
- [Unit 2 — Bereshit 27:36–43: Eisov's blessing, his hatred, and Rivkah's warning](#unit-2)
- [Unit 3 — Bereshit 27:44–28:4: Rivkah's plan and Yitzchok's charge to Yaakov](#unit-3)
- [Conclusion of the aliyah](#conclusion)
- [Aramaic word list for the aliyah](#glossary)
- [Source note](#source-note)
---
## Orientation
**What happens in this aliyah.** Yitzchok completes his blessing of Yaakov with the dew of heaven, the goodness of the land, and mastery over nations and brothers. Yaakov has only just gone out when Eisov comes in with his own dish. Yitzchok is overcome by the discovery, and Eisov cries out bitterly and pleads for a blessing of his own. Yitzchok gives him the richness of the earth, life by the sword and service to his brother, with a time when he will throw off his brother's yoke. Eisov resolves to kill Yaakov when the days of mourning for their father arrive. Rivkah, told of his words, sends Yaakov to her brother Lavan in Charan, and then tells Yitzchok that she cannot bear the thought of Yaakov marrying one of the daughters of the Chitite. Yitzchok calls Yaakov, forbids him a Canaanite wife, sends him to Padan Aram to marry one of Lavan's daughters, and blesses him with the blessing of Avraham.
**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.**
- **The language of deceit.** Where the Hebrew says that Yaakov came 'with cunning' and 'took' the blessing (27:35), Onkelos has בְּחָכְמְתָא, 'with wisdom', and וְקַבִּיל, 'he received'. The notes suggest this may reflect a reluctance to describe Yaakov's act as deceit.
- **A clause about the Torah.** The short and difficult 'when you break loose' of 27:40 is replaced by a whole clause, כַּד יַעְבְּרוּן בְּנוֹהִי עַל פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְתָא, 'when his sons transgress the words of the Torah'.
- **One Hebrew verb, more than one Aramaic verb.** The single verb 'bow' is split between nations who 'will be subjugated' and brothers who 'will bow' (27:29), and the Hebrew 'take' becomes 'took' (the ordinary verb, used for the birthright and for taking a wife), 'received' for the blessing, or 'lead' for Rivkah bringing Yaakov home, according to what is being taken.
- **Images given their plain sense.** 'Fatness' becomes 'goodness', 'make fruitful' becomes 'increase', 'seed' becomes 'children', and 'listen to my voice' becomes 'accept from me'.
- **Divine Names.** In 27:28 and 28:4 the Hebrew has the general word for God, and the printed Onkelos, with the Yemenite text, has the Name, Hashem. The title El Shaddai in 28:3 is kept exactly as in the Hebrew.
- **Coming in.** The Hebrew 'come' and 'bring' are mostly rendered with the Aramaic verb of entering: 'came in', 'brought in'.
- **Printed and Yemenite texts.** Several observations hold for the printed text only, among them the 'ambush' link between 27:36 and 27:42 and the single word for anger in 27:44-45. They are marked 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 27:28–35: The end of Yaakov's blessing, and Eisov's return
Yitzchok completes his blessing of Yaakov with bounty of the land and mastery over nations and brothers. Yaakov has barely left when Eisov arrives with his own dish; Yitzchok trembles at the discovery, Eisov cries out for a blessing, and Yitzchok tells him that his brother came and took it.
---
### Bereshit 27:28
**Torah**
וְיִֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ הָאֱלֹקִ֔ים מִטַּל֙ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּמִשְׁמַנֵּ֖י הָאָ֑רֶץ וְרֹ֥ב דָּגָ֖ן וְתִירֹֽשׁ׃
**Translation**
And may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness [riches] of the land, and abundance of grain and wine.
**Onkelos**
וְיִתֶּן לָךְ ה׳ מִטַּלָּא דִּשְׁמַיָּא וּמִטּוּבָא דְאַרְעָא וּסְגִיאוּת (נ''י וְסַגְיוּת) עִיבוּר וַחֲמָר
**Onkelos in English**
And may Hashem give you of the dew of heaven, and of the goodness of the land, and abundance (another version: and plenty) of grain and wine.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"May Hashem give you".** The Hebrew has הָאֱלֹקִים, God, with the definite article; the printed Onkelos, and the Yemenite text with it, has the Name, Hashem. The verse itself gives no reason for this change of Divine Name.
- **"The goodness of the land".** The Hebrew וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי, 'of the fatness', is a metaphor for the land's richness. Onkelos gives the plain sense with וּמִטּוּבָא, 'of the goodness', perhaps preferring the literal meaning to the image.
- **"Grain and wine".** דָּגָן is rendered עִיבוּר, a general word for grain or produce, and וְתִירֹשׁ, often understood as new wine, becomes וַחֲמָר, the ordinary Aramaic word for wine. וּסְגִיאוּת, 'abundance', matches וְרֹב; the printed text gives in parentheses the alternative form וְסַגְיוּת, which is also the Yemenite reading, with the same meaning.
**Words to note:** וּמִטּוּבָא *u-mi-tuva* — and of the goodness (וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי) · וּסְגִיאוּת *u-segi'ut* — and abundance (וְרֹב) · עִיבוּר *ivur* — grain (דָּגָן) · וַחֲמָר *va-hamar* — and wine (וְתִירֹשׁ)
---
### Bereshit 27:29
**Torah**
יַֽעַבְד֣וּךָ עַמִּ֗ים (וישתחו) [וְיִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֤וּ] לְךָ֙ לְאֻמִּ֔ים הֱוֵ֤ה גְבִיר֙ לְאַחֶ֔יךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲו֥וּ לְךָ֖ בְּנֵ֣י אִמֶּ֑ךָ אֹרְרֶ֣יךָ אָר֔וּר וּֽמְבָרְכֶ֖יךָ בָּרֽוּךְ׃
**Translation**
Peoples will serve you and nations bow to you. Be master over your brothers, and your mother's sons will bow to you. Those who curse you are cursed, and those who bless you are blessed.
**Onkelos**
יִפְלְחֻנָּךְ עַמְמִין וְיִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּן לָךְ מַלְכְּוָן הֱוֵי רַב לְאַחָיךְ וְיִסְגְּדוּן לָךְ בְּנֵי אִמָּךְ מְלַטְטָיךְ יְהוֹן לִיטִין וּמְבָרֲכָיךְ יְהוֹן בְּרִיכִין
**Onkelos in English**
Peoples will serve you and kingdoms will be subjugated to you. Be master over your brothers, and your mother's sons will bow to you. Those who curse you will be cursed, and those who bless you will be blessed.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Kingdoms will be subjugated to you".** The Hebrew uses the same verb, וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ, 'bow', for the nations and for the brothers. Onkelos renders it twice differently: of the nations, וְיִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּן, 'will be subjugated' (from the root of 'slavery'); of the brothers, וְיִסְגְּדוּן, 'will bow'. The nations' bowing is thus presented as political subjection, which may suggest that Onkelos read it as more than a gesture of respect. לְאֻמִּים, 'nations', also becomes מַלְכְּוָן, 'kingdoms', in keeping with that reading.
- **"Be master".** גְבִיר is rendered רַב, 'master, chief'. יִפְלְחֻנָּךְ, 'will serve you', uses the usual Aramaic verb for service, for the Hebrew יַעַבְדוּךָ.
- **"Will be cursed ... will be blessed".** The Hebrew closes with two verbless clauses, literally 'those who curse you, cursed; those who bless you, blessed'. Onkelos supplies יְהוֹן, 'will be', in each, turning them into explicit statements about the future. The Hebrew pairs the roots ארר and ברך within each clause; the Aramaic keeps the pairing, with מְלַטְטָיךְ and לִיטִין from one root and וּמְבָרֲכָיךְ and בְּרִיכִין from another.
- **Textual note.** For the participles מְלַטְטָיךְ and וּמְבָרֲכָיךְ, the Yemenite text reads לִיטָךְ and וּבְרִיכָךְ, different forms built on the same roots as the following לִיטִין and בְּרִיכִין. The sense, 'those who curse you ... those who bless you', appears to be unchanged.
**Words to note:** יִפְלְחֻנָּךְ *yiflehunnakh* — will serve you (יַעַבְדוּךָ) · וְיִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּן *ve-yishta'bedun* — and will be subjugated (וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ) · מַלְכְּוָן *malkevan* — kingdoms (לְאֻמִּים) · רַב *rav* — master (גְבִיר) · וְיִסְגְּדוּן *ve-yisgedun* — and will bow (וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ) · מְלַטְטָיךְ *melatetaykh* — those who curse you (אֹרְרֶיךָ)
---
### Bereshit 27:30
**Torah**
וַיְהִ֗י כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר כִּלָּ֣ה יִצְחָק֮ לְבָרֵ֣ךְ אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹב֒ וַיְהִ֗י אַ֣ךְ יָצֹ֤א יָצָא֙ יַעֲקֹ֔ב מֵאֵ֥ת פְּנֵ֖י יִצְחָ֣ק אָבִ֑יו וְעֵשָׂ֣ו אָחִ֔יו בָּ֖א מִצֵּידֽוֹ׃
**Translation**
It was when Yitzchok had finished blessing Yaakov, and Yaakov had just left the presence of Yitzchok, his father, that Eisov came back from his trapping.
**Onkelos**
וַהֲוָה כַּד שֵׁיצֵי יִצְחָק לְבָרָכָא יָת יַעֲקֹב וַהֲוָה בְּרַם מִפַּק נְפַק יַעֲקֹב מִלְּוַת אַפֵּי יִצְחָק אֲבוּהִי וְעֵשָׂו אֲחוּהִי אָתָא (נ''י עַל) מִצֵידֵהּ
**Onkelos in English**
It was when Yitzchok had finished blessing Yaakov, and it was, Yaakov had just left the presence of Yitzchok, his father, and Eisov, his brother, came (another version: entered) from his trapping.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Had just left".** The Hebrew doubles the verb, יָצֹא יָצָא, 'going out he went out', after אַךְ, 'only, just'. Onkelos keeps the doubled verb, מִפַּק נְפַק, and renders the particle with בְּרַם. The close timing of Yaakov's exit and Eisov's arrival is preserved.
- **"The presence of".** The Hebrew מֵאֵת פְּנֵי, literally 'from with the face of', is matched element by element by מִלְּוַת אַפֵּי.
- **"Came".** The printed text reads אָתָא, 'came', the direct equivalent of בָּא, and notes in parentheses an alternative reading, עַל, 'entered'. Elsewhere in these verses the Hebrew 'come, bring' is rendered with that verb of entering. שֵׁיצֵי, 'finished', is the usual Aramaic for כִּלָּה.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads מִן קֳדָם, 'from before', in place of מִלְּוַת אַפֵּי, and עָאל, 'entered', in place of אָתָא, agreeing with the alternative reading given in the printed text. The meaning is not affected.
**Words to note:** שֵׁיצֵי *sheitzei* — had finished (כִּלָּה) · בְּרַם *beram* — just (אַךְ) · מִפַּק *mippak* — going out (יָצֹא) · מִלְּוַת *millevat* — from (with) (מֵאֵת) · אַפֵּי *appei* — the face of (the presence of) (פְּנֵי) · מִצֵידֵהּ *mi-tzedeh* — from his trapping (מִצֵּידוֹ)
---
### Bereshit 27:31
**Torah**
וַיַּ֤עַשׂ גַּם־הוּא֙ מַטְעַמִּ֔ים וַיָּבֵ֖א לְאָבִ֑יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאָבִ֗יו יָקֻ֤ם אָבִי֙ וְיֹאכַל֙ מִצֵּ֣יד בְּנ֔וֹ בַּעֲבֻ֖ר תְּבָרְכַ֥נִּי נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
**Translation**
He too made a tasty dish and brought it to his father. He said to his father, Let my father rise and eat of his son's trapping, that your soul may bless me.
**Onkelos**
וַעֲבַד אַף הוּא תַּבְשִׁילִין וְאָעֵיל לְוַת אֲבוּהִי וַאֲמַר לַאֲבוּהִי יָקוּם אַבָּא וְיֵכוּל מִצֵידָא דִּבְרֵהּ בְּדִיל דִּי תְבָרְכִנַּנִּי נַפְשָׁךְ
**Onkelos in English**
He too made cooked dishes and brought [them] in to his father. He said to his father, Let my father rise and eat of his son's trapping, so that your soul may bless me.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Cooked dishes".** The Hebrew מַטְעַמִּים, 'tasty dishes', names the food by its flavour; Onkelos's תַּבְשִׁילִין names it by its preparation, 'cooked dishes'. Both are plural.
- **"Brought [them] in".** For וַיָּבֵא, 'brought', Onkelos uses וְאָעֵיל, the causative of the verb 'to enter', 'brought in'. The rest of the verse is a literal rendering: בְּדִיל דִּי, 'so that', for בַּעֲבֻר, and אַבָּא, 'my father', for אָבִי.
**Words to note:** תַּבְשִׁילִין *tavshilin* — cooked dishes (מַטְעַמִּים) · וְאָעֵיל *ve-a'eil* — and brought in (וַיָּבֵא) · בְּדִיל *bedil* — so that (for the sake of) (בַּעֲבֻר) · תְבָרְכִנַּנִּי *tevarekhinnani* — may bless me (תְּבָרְכַנִּי)
---
### Bereshit 27:32
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֛וֹ יִצְחָ֥ק אָבִ֖יו מִי־אָ֑תָּה וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אֲנִ֛י בִּנְךָ֥ בְכֹֽרְךָ֖ עֵשָֽׂו׃
**Translation**
Yitzchok, his father, said to him, Who are you? He said, I am your son, your firstborn, Eisov.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר לֵהּ יִצְחָק אֲבוּהִי מָן אָתְּ וַאֲמַר אֲנָא בְּרָךְ בּוּכְרָךְ עֵשָׂו
**Onkelos in English**
Yitzchok, his father, said to him, Who are you? He said, I am your son, your firstborn, Eisov.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Your son, your firstborn".** A literal rendering, word for word: בְּרָךְ בּוּכְרָךְ for בִּנְךָ בְכֹרְךָ.
**Words to note:** מָן *man* — who (מִי) · בּוּכְרָךְ *bukhrakh* — your firstborn (בְכֹרְךָ)
---
### Bereshit 27:33
**Torah**
וַיֶּחֱרַ֨ד יִצְחָ֣ק חֲרָדָה֮ גְּדֹלָ֣ה עַד־מְאֹד֒ וַיֹּ֡אמֶר מִֽי־אֵפ֡וֹא ה֣וּא הַצָּֽד־צַ֩יִד֩ וַיָּ֨בֵא לִ֜י וָאֹכַ֥ל מִכֹּ֛ל בְּטֶ֥רֶם תָּב֖וֹא וָאֲבָרְכֵ֑הוּ גַּם־בָּר֖וּךְ יִהְיֶֽה׃
**Translation**
Yitzchok was seized with a powerful trembling; and said, Who, then, is he who trapped [deer] and brought it to me. I ate all of it before you came, and I blessed him. He shall be blessed.
**Onkelos**
וּתְוָה יִצְחָק תִּוְהָא רַבָּא עַד לַחֲדָא וַאֲמַר מָן הוּא דֵּיכִי דְצָד צֵידָא וְאָעֵיל לִי וַאֲכָלִית מִכֹּלָּא עַד לָא תֵיעוֹל וּבָרֵכִתֵּהּ אַף בְּרִיךְ יְהֵי
**Onkelos in English**
Yitzchok was astonished with a great astonishment, exceedingly, and said, Who, then, is he who trapped game and brought [it] in to me? I ate all of it before you came in, and I blessed him. Indeed, he shall be blessed.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Was astonished with a great astonishment".** The Hebrew וַיֶּחֱרַד יִצְחָק חֲרָדָה speaks of trembling (the root חרד). Onkelos keeps the cognate construction but changes the verb: וּתְוָה ... תִּוְהָא, from a root meaning 'to be amazed, astonished'. Yitzchok's reaction is thus presented as amazement at the discovery rather than physical fear or shaking; why Onkelos chose this is not stated, and it may simply reflect his reading of the scene.
- **"Brought [it] in ... before you came in".** Both Hebrew forms of 'come', וַיָּבֵא and תָּבוֹא, are rendered with the verb of entering: וְאָעֵיל, 'brought in', and תֵיעוֹל, 'came in'. בְּטֶרֶם, 'before', becomes the idiomatic עַד לָא, literally 'until not'.
- **"Indeed, he shall be blessed".** גַּם is rendered אַף, 'also, indeed', and the rest is literal. אֵפוֹא is matched by דֵּיכִי, 'then'.
**Words to note:** וּתְוָה *u-teva* — was astonished (וַיֶּחֱרַד) · תִּוְהָא *tivha* — astonishment (חֲרָדָה) · לַחֲדָא *lahada* — exceedingly (very) (מְאֹד) · דֵּיכִי *deikhi* — then (אֵפוֹא) · תֵיעוֹל *tei'ol* — you came in (תָּבוֹא) · אַף *af* — indeed (also) (גַּם)
---
### Bereshit 27:34
**Torah**
כִּשְׁמֹ֤עַ עֵשָׂו֙ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֣י אָבִ֔יו וַיִּצְעַ֣ק צְעָקָ֔ה גְּדֹלָ֥ה וּמָרָ֖ה עַד־מְאֹ֑ד וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאָבִ֔יו בָּרְכֵ֥נִי גַם־אָ֖נִי אָבִֽי׃
**Translation**
When Eisov heard his father's words, he wailed a most loud and bitter cry, and he said to his father, Bless me too, my father.
**Onkelos**
כַּד שְׁמַע עֵשָׂו יָת פִּתְגָּמֵי אֲבוּהִי וּצְוַח צִוְחָא רַבָּא וּמְרִירָא עַד לַחֲדָא וַאֲמַר לַאֲבוּהִי בָּרֵכְנִי אַף אֲנָא (נ''י לִי) אַבָּא
**Onkelos in English**
When Eisov heard his father's words, he wailed a most loud and bitter cry, and he said to his father, Bless me too (another version: also me), my father.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"He wailed a most loud and bitter cry".** A literal rendering that keeps the Hebrew's cognate construction: וּצְוַח צִוְחָא, 'he cried a cry', for וַיִּצְעַק צְעָקָה. רַבָּא, 'great', and עַד לַחֲדָא, 'very much', are the same words Onkelos used for Yitzchok's astonishment in 27:33, so the parallel between father and son in the Hebrew is kept.
- **"His father's words".** דִּבְרֵי is rendered פִּתְגָּמֵי, the usual Aramaic for 'words, matters'.
- **Textual note.** For אַף אֲנָא, 'I too', the Yemenite text reads אַף לִי, 'also me' (with בָּרֵיכְנִי for the verb), the alternative given in parentheses in the printed text. The sense is unchanged.
**Words to note:** פִּתְגָּמֵי *pitgamei* — words (דִּבְרֵי) · וּצְוַח *u-tzevah* — he wailed (cried out) (וַיִּצְעַק) · צִוְחָא *tzivha* — cry (צְעָקָה) · וּמְרִירָא *u-merira* — and bitter (וּמָרָה)
---
### Bereshit 27:35
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר בָּ֥א אָחִ֖יךָ בְּמִרְמָ֑ה וַיִּקַּ֖ח בִּרְכָתֶֽךָ׃
**Translation**
[Yitzchok] said, Your brother came with cunning and he took your blessing.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר עַל אָחוּךְ בְּחָכְמְתָא וְקַבִּיל בִּרְכְּתָךְ
**Onkelos in English**
He said, Your brother came in with wisdom and he received your blessing.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"With wisdom".** The Hebrew בְּמִרְמָה means 'with deceit, with cunning'. Onkelos renders it בְּחָכְמְתָא, 'with wisdom' or 'cleverness'. This is a marked change of meaning; it may reflect reluctance to describe Yaakov's act as deceit.
- **"He received".** The Hebrew וַיִּקַּח, 'and he took', becomes וְקַבִּיל, 'and he received'. Taken together with 'wisdom', the change perhaps presents Yaakov as receiving the blessing rather than seizing it.
- **"Came in".** בָּא, 'came', is rendered עַל, 'entered', the same verb of entering used for 'come' and 'bring' in 27:31 and 27:33.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text spells the verb עָאל, which confirms that the printed עַל is the verb 'entered' and not the preposition 'upon'. It reads בְּחָכְמָא for בְּחָכְמְתָא, another form of the same noun 'wisdom', so the point above holds in both texts.
**Words to note:** עַל *al* — came in (entered) (בָּא) · בְּחָכְמְתָא *be-hokhmeta* — with wisdom (בְּמִרְמָה) · וְקַבִּיל *ve-kabbil* — and he received (וַיִּקַּח)
---
### Unit 1 summary
Onkelos follows the scene closely, keeping its repetitions: the cognate phrases of 27:33 and 27:34 stay cognate (וּתְוָה ... תִּוְהָא, וּצְוַח צִוְחָא), and 'very much' is עַד לַחֲדָא in both verses. The changes cluster at the points of greatest weight. In the blessing, ha-Elokim becomes the Name Hashem, 'fatness' becomes 'goodness', and the one Hebrew verb 'bow' is split: nations 'will be subjugated' (וְיִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּן) while brothers 'will bow' (וְיִסְגְּדוּן); the curse and blessing formulas gain an explicit 'will be'. Yitzchok's trembling becomes astonishment, and in 27:35 Yaakov comes 'with wisdom' rather than 'with cunning' and 'receives' rather than 'takes' the blessing, a pair of changes that may reflect a wish to soften the language of deceit. Throughout, the Hebrew verb 'come, bring' is mostly rendered by the Aramaic for 'enter, bring in' (וְאָעֵיל, תֵיעוֹל, עַל).
---
## Unit 2 — Bereshit 27:36–43: Eisov's blessing, his hatred, and Rivkah's warning
Eisov protests that Yaakov has twice cheated him and pleads for a blessing of his own; Yitzchok promises him the richness of the earth, life by the sword, and a time when he will throw off his brother's yoke. Eisov resolves to kill Yaakov once their father has died, and Rivkah, told of his words, sends Yaakov away to her brother Lavan in Charan.
---
### Bereshit 27:36
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֡אמֶר הֲכִי֩ קָרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ יַעֲקֹ֗ב וַֽיַּעְקְבֵ֙נִי֙ זֶ֣ה פַעֲמַ֔יִם אֶת־בְּכֹרָתִ֣י לָקָ֔ח וְהִנֵּ֥ה עַתָּ֖ה לָקַ֣ח בִּרְכָתִ֑י וַיֹּאמַ֕ר הֲלֹא־אָצַ֥לְתָּ לִּ֖י בְּרָכָֽה׃
**Translation**
[Eisov] said, Is he not rightly called Yaakov? He has deceived me twice; he took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing. He said, Have you not saved a blessing for me?
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר יָאוּת קְרָא שְׁמֵהּ יַעֲקֹב וְכָמַנִי דְּנָן תַּרְתֵּין זִמְנִין יָת בְּכֵירוּתִי נְסִיב וְהָא כְּעַן קַבִּיל בִּרְכְּתִי וַאֲמַר הֲלָא שְׁבַקְתָּ לִי בִּרְכְּתָא
**Onkelos in English**
[Eisov] said, Rightly did he call his name Yaakov, and he has ambushed me these two times; he took my birthright, and behold, now he has received my blessing. He said, Have you not left a blessing for me?
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Rightly did he call his name Yaakov".** The Hebrew opens with a question, הֲכִי (ha-khi), 'is it not that...?'. Onkelos turns it into a statement with יָאוּת (ya'ut), 'rightly, properly': Eisov no longer asks whether the name fits but declares that it does. The words that follow, קְרָא שְׁמֵהּ (kera shemeh), 'he called his name', render קָרָא שְׁמוֹ word for word.
- **"He has ambushed me".** The Hebrew plays on the name: יַעֲקֹב (Ya'akov) and וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי (va-ya'kveni), 'he has deceived me', share the root עקב. Onkelos keeps the name but renders the verb וְכָמַנִי (ve-khamani), from כמן, 'to lie in wait, ambush', so the wordplay is not reproduced in the Aramaic. The same root returns in 27:42, where Eisov himself is 'lying in wait' (kamin) to kill Yaakov.
- **"These two times".** The Hebrew זֶה פַעֲמַיִם (zeh fa'amayim) uses a dual noun, 'twice'. Onkelos keeps the demonstrative as דְּנָן (denan), 'these', and spells out the number with a plural noun: תַּרְתֵּין זִמְנִין (tartein zimnin), 'two times'. A grammatical smoothing.
- **"He took ... he has received".** The Hebrew uses the same verb twice, לָקָח for the birthright and לָקַח for the blessing. Onkelos renders the first נְסִיב (nesiv), 'he took', and the second קַבִּיל (kabbil), 'he has received'. Perhaps Onkelos preferred to speak of a blessing as something received rather than taken; either way, the Hebrew repetition, which sets the two losses side by side, is not kept.
- **"Have you not left a blessing for me?"** The Hebrew אָצַלְתָּ (atzalta), 'you have set aside, reserved', becomes שְׁבַקְתָּ (shevakta), 'you have left', from שבק. The sense is close, but the Aramaic speaks of what remains over rather than of something deliberately reserved.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads וְחַכְמַנִי (ve-hakhmani), 'and he has outwitted me', from חכם, in place of ve-khamani. On that reading the verb of Eisov's complaint is not the one used for his 'lying in wait' in 27:42; the link between the two verses holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** יָאוּת *ya'ut* — rightly (הֲכִי) · וְכָמַנִי *ve-khamani* — and he has ambushed me (וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי) · זִמְנִין *zimnin* — times (פַעֲמַיִם) · נְסִיב *nesiv* — he took; (of a wife) married (לָקָח) · קַבִּיל *kabbil* — he has received (לָקַח) · שְׁבַקְתָּ *shevakta* — you have left (אָצַלְתָּ)
---
### Bereshit 27:37
**Torah**
וַיַּ֨עַן יִצְחָ֜ק וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְעֵשָׂ֗ו הֵ֣ן גְּבִ֞יר שַׂמְתִּ֥יו לָךְ֙ וְאֶת־כׇּל־אֶחָ֗יו נָתַ֤תִּי לוֹ֙ לַעֲבָדִ֔ים וְדָגָ֥ן וְתִירֹ֖שׁ סְמַכְתִּ֑יו וּלְכָ֣ה אֵפ֔וֹא מָ֥ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֖ה בְּנִֽי׃
**Translation**
Yitzchok replied and said to Eisov. Behold, I have made him your master, and all his brothers I have given him as slaves. I have sustained him with grain and wine. Where? What can I do for you, my son?
**Onkelos**
וַאֲתֵיב יִצְחָק וַאֲמַר לְעֵשָׂו הָא רַב שַׁוִּתֵּהּ לָךְ (נ''י עִלַּוָּךְ) וְיָת כָּל אֲחוֹהִי יְהָבִית לֵהּ לְעַבְדִּין וְעִיבוּר וַחֲמָר סְעִדְתֵּהּ וְלָךְ הָכָא מָה אֶעְבֵּיד בְּרִי
**Onkelos in English**
Yitzchok replied and said to Eisov, Behold, I have made him your master (another version: [master] over you), and all his brothers I have given him as slaves, and I have sustained him [with] grain and wine. And for you, here, what can I do, my son?
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Your master".** The Hebrew גְּבִיר (gevir), 'lord, master', is rendered רַב (rav), 'master, great one'. The printed text has לָךְ (lakh), 'to you', as in the Hebrew לָךְ, and records in parentheses another version, עִלַּוָּךְ (illavakh), 'over you', which presents the relationship explicitly as rule over Eisov.
- **"All his brothers I have given him as slaves".** A literal rendering that keeps the Hebrew word order; לְעַבְדִּין (le-avdin) is from the same root as לַעֲבָדִים (la-avadim).
- **"I have sustained him [with] grain and wine".** Each of the three Hebrew words has an Aramaic equivalent of a different root: וְדָגָן (ve-dagan), 'and grain', is וְעִיבוּר (ve-ivur), a general word for grain or produce; וְתִירֹשׁ (ve-tirosh), 'and wine', is וַחֲמָר (va-hamar), the common Aramaic word for wine; and סְמַכְתִּיו (semakhtiv), 'I have supported him', is סְעִדְתֵּהּ (se'idteh), from סעד, 'to sustain'. Like the Hebrew, the printed Aramaic has no preposition before 'grain and wine'.
- **"And for you, here".** The consonants of the Hebrew וּלְכָה could also be read as the imperative 'go!'; Onkelos's וְלָךְ (ve-lakh), 'and for you', takes the word as the preposition with a suffix. For the particle אֵפוֹא (efo) the printed Onkelos has הָכָא (hakha), 'here', a word of place.
- **"What can I do".** The Hebrew אֶעֱשֶׂה (e'eseh) is rendered אֶעְבֵּיד (e'beid), from עבד, which in Aramaic is the verb 'to do, make'. So one Aramaic root serves in this verse both for 'slaves' (le-avdin) and for 'do', where the Hebrew uses two different roots, עבד and עשה.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text has no parenthesis and reads שַׁוִּיתֵיהּ עִלָּוָךְ (shavviteh illavakh), 'I have made him [master] over you', which is the printed text's other version.
- **Textual note.** For 'grain and wine' the Yemenite text reads וּבַעֲבוּר וּבַחֲמַר (u-va'avur u-va-hamar), 'and with grain and with wine', supplying the preposition 'with' that the printed text and the Hebrew leave implicit.
- **Textual note.** For hakha, 'here', the Yemenite text reads כְּעַן (ke'an), 'now', a word of time rather than of place. The remark on 'here' holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** רַב *rav* — master (גְּבִיר) · עִלַּוָּךְ *illavakh* — over you (another version) (לָךְ) · וְעִיבוּר *ve-ivur* — and grain (וְדָגָן) · וַחֲמָר *va-hamar* — and wine (וְתִירֹשׁ) · סְעִדְתֵּהּ *se'idteh* — I have sustained him (סְמַכְתִּיו) · הָכָא *hakha* — here (אֵפוֹא)
---
### Bereshit 27:38
**Torah**
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֵשָׂ֜ו אֶל־אָבִ֗יו הַֽבְרָכָ֨ה אַחַ֤ת הִֽוא־לְךָ֙ אָבִ֔י בָּרְכֵ֥נִי גַם־אָ֖נִי אָבִ֑י וַיִּשָּׂ֥א עֵשָׂ֛ו קֹל֖וֹ וַיֵּֽבְךְּ׃
**Translation**
Eisov said to his father, Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father, and Eisov raised his voice and wept.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמַר עֵשָׂו לַאֲבוּהִי הֲבִרְכְּתָא חֲדָא הִיא לָךְ אַבָּא בָּרֵךְ לִי אַף אֲנָא אַבָּא וַאֲרֵים עֵשָׂו קָלֵהּ וּבְכָא
**Onkelos in English**
Eisov said to his father, Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father, and Eisov raised his voice and wept.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Do you have only one blessing".** A literal rendering: the question particle, the noun, the number and the pronoun follow the Hebrew word for word, הֲבִרְכְּתָא חֲדָא הִיא לָךְ for הַבְרָכָה אַחַת הִוא לְךָ. The Hebrew אָבִי (avi), 'my father', is אַבָּא (abba), here and again later in the verse.
- **"Bless me too".** The Hebrew בָּרְכֵנִי (barkheni) attaches the object 'me' to the verb as a suffix. The printed Onkelos uses the imperative with a preposition, בָּרֵךְ לִי (barekh li), 'bless [to] me', and keeps the emphatic אַף אֲנָא (af ana), 'also I', for גַם אָנִי (gam ani).
- **"Raised his voice".** The Hebrew וַיִּשָּׂא (va-yissa), 'he lifted', is rendered וַאֲרֵים (va-areim), from the verb 'to raise'. The rest of the verse is literal.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads בָּרֵיכְנִי (barikhni), with the object suffix as in the Hebrew, followed by אַף לִי (af li), 'me too', instead of the printed barekh li ... af ana. The point about the preposition li in place of the Hebrew suffix holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** הֲבִרְכְּתָא *ha-virketa* — a blessing? (with the question particle) (הַבְרָכָה) · אַבָּא *abba* — my father (אָבִי) · בָּרֵךְ *barekh* — bless (בָּרְכֵנִי) · וַאֲרֵים *va-areim* — and raised (וַיִּשָּׂא)
---
### Bereshit 27:39
**Torah**
וַיַּ֛עַן יִצְחָ֥ק אָבִ֖יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֑יו הִנֵּ֞ה מִשְׁמַנֵּ֤י הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה מֽוֹשָׁבֶ֔ךָ וּמִטַּ֥ל הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם מֵעָֽל׃
**Translation**
Yitzchok, his father replied and said to him, Behold the fatness [richness] of the earth shall be your dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲתֵיב יִצְחָק אֲבוּהִי וַאֲמַר לֵהּ הָא מִטּוּבָא דְאַרְעָא יְהֵא מוֹתְבָךְ וּמִטַּלָּא דִּשְׁמַיָּא מִלְּעֵלָא
**Onkelos in English**
Yitzchok, his father replied and said to him, Behold, of the goodness of the earth shall be your dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Of the goodness of the earth".** The Hebrew מִשְׁמַנֵּי (mi-shmannei), 'of the fatnesses of', a plural noun from the root for 'fat', becomes מִטּוּבָא (mi-tuva), 'of the goodness', a singular noun from a different root. Onkelos gives the sense of the image, the richness of the land, rather than the image itself. The preposition mi-, 'of', is kept.
- **"Your dwelling".** מוֹתְבָךְ (motvakh) is from the Aramaic verb 'to sit, dwell', the counterpart of the Hebrew verb behind מוֹשָׁבֶךָ (moshavekha). The rest of the verse is literal: וּמִטַּלָּא (u-mi-talla), 'and of the dew', and מִלְּעֵלָא (mi-le'ela), 'from above'.
**Words to note:** מִטּוּבָא *mi-tuva* — of the goodness (מִשְׁמַנֵּי) · מוֹתְבָךְ *motvakh* — your dwelling (מוֹשָׁבֶךָ) · מִלְּעֵלָא *mi-le'ela* — from above (מֵעָל)
---
### Bereshit 27:40
**Torah**
וְעַל־חַרְבְּךָ֣ תִֽחְיֶ֔ה וְאֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ תַּעֲבֹ֑ד וְהָיָה֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר תָּרִ֔יד וּפָרַקְתָּ֥ עֻלּ֖וֹ מֵעַ֥ל צַוָּארֶֽךָ׃
**Translation**
You shall live by your sword, and you shall serve your brother. When you have cause to be grieved, you will throw off his yoke from your neck.
**Onkelos**
וְעַל חַרְבָּךְ תֵּיחֵי וְיָת אָחוּךְ תִּפְלָח וִיהֵי כַּד יַעְבְּרוּן בְּנוֹהִי עַל פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְתָא וְתַעְדִּי נִירֵהּ מֵעַל צַוְרָךְ
**Onkelos in English**
You shall live by your sword, and you shall serve your brother. And it shall be, when his sons transgress the words of the Torah, you will remove his yoke from your neck.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"When his sons transgress the words of the Torah".** The Hebrew כַּאֲשֶׁר תָּרִיד (ka'asher tarid), 'when you [break loose]', is short and difficult. Onkelos does not translate the verb; in its place he writes a whole clause, כַּד יַעְבְּרוּן בְּנוֹהִי עַל פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְתָא (kad ya'berun benohi al pitgamei orayta), 'when his sons transgress the words of the Torah'. The subject changes from Eisov, 'you', to 'his sons', most naturally the sons of 'your brother', Yaakov. In the Aramaic, Eisov's release from the yoke is made to depend on the conduct of Yaakov's descendants: a substantial interpretive expansion.
- **"You shall serve your brother".** The Hebrew תַּעֲבֹד (ta'avod) is rendered תִּפְלָח (tiflah), from פלח, 'to serve, work'. In 27:37 Onkelos kept the Hebrew root עבד for the noun 'slaves' (le-avdin), but here he uses a different verb. Since עבד in Aramaic is the verb 'to do', as in e'beid, 'what can I do', in 27:37, this may explain why it is not used for 'serve'.
- **"You will remove his yoke".** The Hebrew וּפָרַקְתָּ (u-farakta), 'you will break off', becomes וְתַעְדִּי (ve-ta'di), 'you will remove', from עדי. עֻלּוֹ (ullo), 'his yoke', is נִירֵהּ (nireh), and צַוָּארֶךָ (tzavvarekha), 'your neck', is the related צַוְרָךְ (tzavrakh).
**Words to note:** תִּפְלָח *tiflah* — you shall serve (תַּעֲבֹד) · יַעְבְּרוּן *ya'berun* — they transgress · פִּתְגָּמֵי *pitgamei* — the words of · אוֹרַיְתָא *orayta* — the Torah · וְתַעְדִּי *ve-ta'di* — you will remove (וּפָרַקְתָּ) · נִירֵהּ *nireh* — his yoke (עֻלּוֹ)
---
### Bereshit 27:41
**Torah**
וַיִּשְׂטֹ֤ם עֵשָׂו֙ אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֔ב עַ֨ל־הַבְּרָכָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֵּרְכ֖וֹ אָבִ֑יו וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֵשָׂ֜ו בְּלִבּ֗וֹ יִקְרְבוּ֙ יְמֵי֙ אֵ֣בֶל אָבִ֔י וְאַֽהַרְגָ֖ה אֶת־יַעֲקֹ֥ב אָחִֽי׃
**Translation**
Eisov hated Yaakov because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Eisov said in his heart, The mourning days for my father are approaching. I will then kill my brother, Yaakov.
**Onkelos**
וּנְטַר עֵשָׂו דְּבָבוּ לְיַעֲקֹב עַל בִּרְכְּתָא דִּי בָרְכֵהּ אֲבוּהִי וַאֲמַר עֵשָׂו בְּלִבֵּהּ יִקְרְבוּן יוֹמֵי אֶבְלֵי דְאַבָּא וְאֶקְטוֹל יָת יַעֲקֹב אָחִי
**Onkelos in English**
Eisov kept enmity against Yaakov because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Eisov said in his heart, The mourning days for my father are approaching. I will then kill my brother, Yaakov.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Kept enmity against".** The single Hebrew verb וַיִּשְׂטֹם (va-yistom), 'he hated, bore a grudge', becomes a phrase: וּנְטַר עֵשָׂו דְּבָבוּ (u-netar Esav devavu), literally 'Eisov kept enmity', with לְיַעֲקֹב (le-Ya'akov), 'against Yaakov'. The verb נטר, 'to keep, guard', may suggest hatred held onto over time.
- **"Because of the blessing with which his father blessed him".** A literal rendering, with דִּי (di) for אֲשֶׁר (asher).
- **"The mourning days for my father".** The Hebrew construct chain יְמֵי אֵבֶל אָבִי is rendered יוֹמֵי אֶבְלֵי דְאַבָּא (yomei evlei de-abba), 'the days of the mourning of my father', with the particle de- linking 'mourning' and 'my father'.
- **"I will then kill".** The Hebrew cohortative וְאַהַרְגָה (ve-aharegah), 'and let me kill', becomes the plain imperfect וְאֶקְטוֹל (ve-ektol), from קטל. The same Aramaic root renders the same Hebrew root הרג in 27:42 (le-miktelakh for le-horgekha).
**Words to note:** וּנְטַר *u-netar* — kept (וַיִּשְׂטֹם) · דְּבָבוּ *devavu* — enmity · אֶבְלֵי *evlei* — the mourning of (אֵבֶל) · וְאֶקְטוֹל *ve-ektol* — I will then kill (וְאַהַרְגָה)
---
### Bereshit 27:42
**Torah**
וַיֻּגַּ֣ד לְרִבְקָ֔ה אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י עֵשָׂ֖ו בְּנָ֣הּ הַגָּדֹ֑ל וַתִּשְׁלַ֞ח וַתִּקְרָ֤א לְיַעֲקֹב֙ בְּנָ֣הּ הַקָּטָ֔ן וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו הִנֵּה֙ עֵשָׂ֣ו אָחִ֔יךָ מִתְנַחֵ֥ם לְךָ֖ לְהׇרְגֶֽךָ׃
**Translation**
Rivkah was informed about the words of Eisov, her older son, and she sent [a messenger] to call Yaakov, her younger son, and she said to him. Behold, your brother Eisov is consoled through you, [for he intends] to kill you.
**Onkelos**
וְאִתְחַוָּה לְרִבְקָה יָת פִּתְגָּמֵי עֵשָׂו בְּרַהּ רַבָּא וּשְׁלָחַת וּקְרַת לְיַעֲקֹב בְּרַהּ זְעֵירָא וַאֲמֶרֶת לֵהּ הָא עֵשָׂו אָחוּךְ כָּמִן לָךְ לְמִקְטְלָךְ
**Onkelos in English**
Rivkah was informed about the words of Eisov, her older son, and she sent and called Yaakov, her younger son, and she said to him, Behold, your brother Eisov is lying in wait for you to kill you.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Is lying in wait for you".** The Hebrew מִתְנַחֵם לְךָ (mitnahem lekha), 'consoles himself regarding you', speaks of Eisov's feelings. Onkelos replaces it with כָּמִן לָךְ (kamin lakh), 'lies in wait for you', which describes an action: Eisov is preparing an ambush. In the printed text this is the root of ve-khamani, 'he has ambushed me', in Eisov's complaint in 27:36, so that the verb of Eisov's charge against Yaakov now describes Eisov himself.
- **"Rivkah was informed about the words of Eisov".** The Hebrew passive וַיֻּגַּד (va-yuggad) is matched by the passive וְאִתְחַוָּה (ve-ithavvah), from the Aramaic verb 'to tell'. The Hebrew דִּבְרֵי (divrei), 'the words of', is פִּתְגָּמֵי (pitgamei), the same word Onkelos uses in 27:40 for 'the words of the Torah'.
- **"Her older son ... her younger son".** הַגָּדֹל (ha-gadol) and הַקָּטָן (ha-katan) become רַבָּא (rabba), 'great', and זְעֵירָא (ze'eira), 'small', used here for older and younger. 'She sent and called', וּשְׁלָחַת וּקְרַת (u-shlahat u-kerat), follows the Hebrew pair of verbs.
- **"To kill you".** The Hebrew לְהׇרְגֶךָ (le-horgekha) is לְמִקְטְלָךְ (le-miktelakh), from קטל, as in 27:41.
**Words to note:** וְאִתְחַוָּה *ve-ithavvah* — was informed (וַיֻּגַּד) · פִּתְגָּמֵי *pitgamei* — the words of (דִּבְרֵי) · זְעֵירָא *ze'eira* — younger (הַקָּטָן) · כָּמִן *kamin* — is lying in wait (מִתְנַחֵם) · לְמִקְטְלָךְ *le-miktelakh* — to kill you (לְהׇרְגֶךָ)
---
### Bereshit 27:43
**Torah**
וְעַתָּ֥ה בְנִ֖י שְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלִ֑י וְק֧וּם בְּרַח־לְךָ֛ אֶל־לָבָ֥ן אָחִ֖י חָרָֽנָה׃
**Translation**
Now my son listen to me. Get up and flee to Lavan, my brother, to Charan.
**Onkelos**
וּכְעַן בְּרִי קַבֵּל מִנִּי וְקוּם אִזֵּיל לָךְ לְוַת לָבָן אָחִי לְחָרָן
**Onkelos in English**
Now my son, accept from me. Get up and go for yourself to Lavan, my brother, to Charan.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Accept from me".** The Hebrew idiom שְׁמַע בְּקֹלִי (shema be-koli), 'listen to my voice', is rendered by its sense: קַבֵּל מִנִּי (kabbel minni), 'accept from me', that is, obey. The verb is from קבל, the root Onkelos used in 27:36 for the blessing Yaakov 'has received' (kabbil).
- **"Go for yourself".** The Hebrew בְּרַח (berah), 'flee', becomes אִזֵּיל (izzeil), 'go', a more general verb; the following לָךְ (lakh), 'for yourself', keeps the Hebrew לְךָ (lekha). In the Aramaic Rivkah sends Yaakov off rather than telling him to flee, perhaps a softening.
- **"To Lavan ... to Charan".** The Hebrew אֶל (el) is לְוַת (levat), 'to', and the directional ending of חָרָנָה (haranah) becomes the preposition le- in לְחָרָן (le-haran): a grammatical smoothing.
**Words to note:** קַבֵּל *kabbel* — accept (שְׁמַע) · מִנִּי *minni* — from me · אִזֵּיל *izzeil* — go (בְּרַח) · לְוַת *levat* — to (אֶל)
---
### Unit 2 summary
Onkelos follows this dialogue closely in word order and structure, but makes a handful of pointed changes. The wordplay on Yaakov's name in 27:36 is not reproduced: the verb 'he has deceived me' is rendered from כמן, 'to lie in wait', and in the printed text the same root returns in 27:42 for Eisov, who 'lies in wait' for Yaakov instead of 'consoling himself', so that the charge Eisov makes is turned into a description of Eisov himself. The obscure 'when you break loose' of 27:40 is replaced by a whole clause, 'when his sons transgress the words of the Torah', which makes Eisov's release depend on the conduct of Yaakov's descendants. Several images and idioms are rendered by their sense: 'fatness' becomes 'goodness', 'he hated' becomes 'he kept enmity', 'listen to my voice' becomes 'accept from me', and 'flee' becomes 'go'. One Hebrew verb, 'took', is split into two Aramaic verbs, 'took' for the birthright and 'received' for the blessing, while the Aramaic root עבד, which means 'to do', renders the Hebrew 'do' and the noun 'slaves', and the verb 'serve' is given a different root. The Yemenite text differs at several of these points, reading 'outwitted me' in 27:36 and 'now' for 'here' in 27:37.
---
## Unit 3 — Bereshit 27:44–28:4: Rivkah's plan and Yitzchok's charge to Yaakov
Rivkah tells Yaakov to stay with Lavan until Eisov's anger passes, then tells Yitzchok that she cannot bear the thought of Yaakov marrying a local woman. Yitzchok calls Yaakov, forbids him a Canaanite wife, sends him to Padan Aram, and blesses him with the blessing of Avraham.
---
### Bereshit 27:44
**Torah**
וְיָשַׁבְתָּ֥ עִמּ֖וֹ יָמִ֣ים אֲחָדִ֑ים עַ֥ד אֲשֶׁר־תָּשׁ֖וּב חֲמַ֥ת אָחִֽיךָ׃
**Translation**
Remain with him a short time until your brother's fury has subsided.
**Onkelos**
וְתֵתֵיב עִמֵּהּ יוֹמִין זְעֵירִין עַד דִּיתוּב רוּגְזָא דְאָחוּךְ
**Onkelos in English**
Remain with him a few days until your brother's anger has subsided.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Remain with him".** וְתֵתֵיב renders וְיָשַׁבְתָּ, "you shall stay", with the Aramaic cognate of the same verb. A literal rendering.
- **"A few days".** The Hebrew יָמִים אֲחָדִים is literally "days, ones", an idiom for a short time. Onkelos writes יוֹמִין זְעֵירִין, "few days" (literally "small days"), stating the sense with an ordinary Aramaic adjective rather than reproducing the Hebrew idiom.
- **"Your brother's anger".** The Hebrew word is חֲמַת, "fury"; Onkelos uses רוּגְזָא, "anger". In the next verse the Hebrew changes to a different word, אַף, and Onkelos uses the same רוּגְזָא there too, so the clause עַד דִּיתוּב רוּגְזָא דְאָחוּךְ recurs word for word at the start of 27:45. The Hebrew construct is also opened up: דְאָחוּךְ, "of your brother", with the particle *de-*.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads דִּתְתוּב חִמְתָּא for the printed דִּיתוּב רוּגְזָא: it has *himta*, the Aramaic cognate of the Hebrew חֲמַת, with a feminine verb to agree with it. The observation that Onkelos uses one word, *rugza*, for both Hebrew words for anger in 27:44-45, and that the two clauses are identical, holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** וְתֵתֵיב *ve-tetev* — remain (you shall stay) (וְיָשַׁבְתָּ) · זְעֵירִין *ze'erin* — few (literally small) (אֲחָדִים) · דִּיתוּב *dituv* — has subsided (returns) (תָּשׁוּב) · רוּגְזָא *rugza* — anger (חֲמַת) · דְאָחוּךְ *de-ahukh* — of your brother (אָחִיךָ)
---
### Bereshit 27:45
**Torah**
עַד־שׁ֨וּב אַף־אָחִ֜יךָ מִמְּךָ֗ וְשָׁכַח֙ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֣יתָ לּ֔וֹ וְשָׁלַחְתִּ֖י וּלְקַחְתִּ֣יךָ מִשָּׁ֑ם לָמָ֥ה אֶשְׁכַּ֛ל גַּם־שְׁנֵיכֶ֖ם י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃
**Translation**
Until your brother's rage toward you has subsided, and he has forgotten what you did to him. I will then send [for you] and bring you [back] from there. Why should I lose both of you on one day?
**Onkelos**
עַד דִּיתוּב רוּגְזָא דְאָחוּךְ מִנָּךְ וְיִתְנְשֵׁי יָת דִּי עֲבַדְתָּ לֵהּ וְאֶשְׁלַח וְאֶדְבְּרִנָּךְ מִתַּמָּן לְמָה אֶתְכַּל אַף תַּרְוֵיכוֹן יוֹמָא חָד
**Onkelos in English**
Until your brother's anger toward you has subsided, and he forgets what you did to him. I will then send [for you] and lead you [back] from there. Why should I also lose both of you on one day?
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"Until your brother's anger toward you has subsided".** The Hebrew uses an infinitive, עַד שׁוּב, "until the returning of", and the word אַף for anger. Onkelos uses a finite verb and the same word for anger as in 27:44, עַד דִּיתוּב רוּגְזָא דְאָחוּךְ, so his two clauses match exactly where the Hebrew varies its wording.
- **"And he forgets".** The Hebrew וְשָׁכַח is a perfect with the vav that gives it future force. Onkelos uses the imperfect וְיִתְנְשֵׁי, making the future explicit. The form looks reflexive, but it takes a direct object marked by יָת, so the sense is active: "he forgets what you did".
- **"I will then send... and lead you [back]".** Both Hebrew perfects, וְשָׁלַחְתִּי and וּלְקַחְתִּיךָ, become imperfects, וְאֶשְׁלַח and וְאֶדְבְּרִנָּךְ. The second verb also changes: the Hebrew "take you" becomes "lead you", from a different root. Elsewhere in this aliyah Onkelos renders 'take' with forms of *nesav*, the ordinary verb 'take', used both for taking a wife (27:46, 28:1, 28:2) and for the birthright Eisov says Yaakov 'took' (27:36); here, where Rivkah speaks of bringing her son home, he uses a verb of leading a person, perhaps to fit the sense.
- **"Why should I also lose".** אֶתְכַּל answers אֶשְׁכַּל, "be bereaved": the Aramaic counterpart of the same word, with ת where the Hebrew has ש, in a passive-reflexive form.
- **A homograph: *af*.** The Hebrew אַף earlier in the verse means "anger", and Onkelos renders it רוּגְזָא. The Aramaic אַף, spelled the same way, means "also" and renders the Hebrew גַּם. The same letters stand for different words in the two languages.
- **"Both of you on one day".** תַּרְוֵיכוֹן יוֹמָא חָד matches שְׁנֵיכֶם יוֹם אֶחָד word for word. A literal rendering.
**Words to note:** וְיִתְנְשֵׁי *ve-yitneshei* — and he forgets (וְשָׁכַח) · וְאֶדְבְּרִנָּךְ *ve-edberinakh* — and lead you (וּלְקַחְתִּיךָ) · מִתַּמָּן *mittamman* — from there (מִשָּׁם) · אֶתְכַּל *etkal* — lose (be bereaved) (אֶשְׁכַּל) · אַף *af* — also (גַּם) · תַּרְוֵיכוֹן *tarveikhon* — both of you (שְׁנֵיכֶם)
---
### Bereshit 27:46
**Torah**
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רִבְקָה֙ אֶל־יִצְחָ֔ק קַ֣צְתִּי בְחַיַּ֔י מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנ֣וֹת חֵ֑ת אִם־לֹקֵ֣חַ יַ֠עֲקֹ֠ב אִשָּׁ֨ה מִבְּנֽוֹת־חֵ֤ת כָּאֵ֙לֶּה֙ מִבְּנ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ לָ֥מָּה לִּ֖י חַיִּֽים׃
**Translation**
Rivkah said to Yitzchok, I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Cheis. If Yaakov marries a woman of the daughters of Cheis, like these, from the daughters of the land, what is life [worth] to me.
**Onkelos**
וַאֲמֶרֶת רִבְקָה לְיִצְחָק עָקִית בְּחַיַּי מִן קֳדָם בְּנַת חִתָּאָה אִם נְסִיב יַעֲקֹב אִתְּתָא מִבְּנַת חִתָּאָה כְאִלֵּין מִבְּנַת אַרְעָא לְמָה לִי חַיִּים
**Onkelos in English**
Rivkah said to Yitzchok, I am distressed with my life because of the daughters of the Chitite. If Yaakov marries a woman of the daughters of the Chitite, like these, from the daughters of the land, what is life [worth] to me.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"I am distressed".** The Hebrew קַצְתִּי expresses loathing or disgust. Onkelos writes עָקִית, "I am distressed", from a root of trouble and anguish. The change may soften Rivkah's words from revulsion to grief.
- **"Because of".** מִפְּנֵי, literally "from the face of", becomes מִן קֳדָם, literally "from before". The same idiom in Aramaic dress; the sense is unchanged.
- **"The daughters of the Chitite".** Twice the Hebrew says בְּנוֹת חֵת, "the daughters of Cheis", naming the ancestor. Onkelos both times writes חִתָּאָה, "the Chitite", the name of the people, so that the women are identified by their nation.
- **"If Yaakov marries".** The Hebrew participle לֹקֵחַ, "takes", is rendered by the participle נְסִיב, from *nesav*, the ordinary verb 'take', which Onkelos uses for taking a wife in this passage (also 28:1 and 28:2) and for the birthright in 27:36.
- **"What is life [worth] to me".** לְמָה לִי חַיִּים follows לָמָּה לִּי חַיִּים word for word; in the printed text even the last word keeps the Hebrew plural ending *-im*.
- **Textual note.** For the last word the Yemenite text has חַיִּין, with the ordinary Aramaic plural ending *-in*, where the printed text has the Hebrew-looking חַיִּים. The point about the Hebrew ending holds for the printed text only.
**Words to note:** עָקִית *akit* — I am distressed (קַצְתִּי) · קֳדָם *kodam* — before (in "because of") (מִפְּנֵי) · חִתָּאָה *hitta'ah* — the Chitite (חֵת) · נְסִיב *nesiv* — marries (takes) (לֹקֵחַ) · אִתְּתָא *itteta* — a woman (אִשָּׁה)
---
### Bereshit 28:1
**Torah**
וַיִּקְרָ֥א יִצְחָ֛ק אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹת֑וֹ וַיְצַוֵּ֙הוּ֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ לֹֽא־תִקַּ֥ח אִשָּׁ֖ה מִבְּנ֥וֹת כְּנָֽעַן׃
**Translation**
Yitzchok called Yaakov and blessed him. He commanded him and said to him, Do not marry a woman of the daughters of Canaan.
**Onkelos**
וּקְרָא יִצְחָק לְיַעֲקֹב וּבָרִיךְ יָתֵהּ וּפַקְדֵהּ וַאֲמַר לֵהּ לָא תִסַּב אִתְּתָא מִבְּנַת כְּנָעַן
**Onkelos in English**
Yitzchok called Yaakov and blessed him. He commanded him and said to him, Do not marry a woman of the daughters of Canaan.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"He commanded him".** וַיְצַוֵּהוּ is rendered וּפַקְדֵהּ, the Aramaic verb for commanding. Otherwise a literal rendering.
- **"Do not marry".** The Hebrew תִקַּח, "take", becomes תִסַּב, the same verb Onkelos uses for taking a wife in 27:46 and 28:2.
**Words to note:** וּבָרִיךְ *u-varikh* — and blessed (וַיְבָרֶךְ) · וּפַקְדֵהּ *u-fakdeh* — he commanded him (וַיְצַוֵּהוּ) · תִסַּב *tissav* — marry (take) (תִקַּח) · מִבְּנַת *mi-benat* — of the daughters of (מִבְּנוֹת)
---
### Bereshit 28:2
**Torah**
ק֥וּם לֵךְ֙ פַּדֶּ֣נָֽה אֲרָ֔ם בֵּ֥יתָה בְתוּאֵ֖ל אֲבִ֣י אִמֶּ֑ךָ וְקַח־לְךָ֤ מִשָּׁם֙ אִשָּׁ֔ה מִבְּנ֥וֹת לָבָ֖ן אֲחִ֥י אִמֶּֽךָ׃
**Translation**
Set out and go to Padan Aram, to the house of Besueil, your mother's father, and marry one of the daughters of Lavan, your mother's brother.
**Onkelos**
קוּם אִזֵּיל לְפַדַּן אֲרָם לְבֵית בְּתוּאֵל אֲבוּהָא דְאִמָּךְ וְסַב לָךְ מִתַּמָּן אִתְּתָא מִבְּנַת לָבָן אֲחוּהָא דְאִמָּךְ
**Onkelos in English**
Set out and go to Padan Aram, to the house of Besueil, your mother's father, and from there marry for yourself a woman of the daughters of Lavan, your mother's brother.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"To Padan Aram, to the house of".** The Hebrew marks direction with a suffix: פַּדֶּנָה and בֵּיתָה. Onkelos uses the prefix *le-*, "to": לְפַדַּן and לְבֵית. The usual Aramaic way of expressing motion toward a place; the sense is unchanged.
- **"Your mother's father... your mother's brother".** The Hebrew constructs אֲבִי אִמֶּךָ and אֲחִי אִמֶּךָ are opened up with *de-*: אֲבוּהָא דְאִמָּךְ, "the father of your mother", and אֲחוּהָא דְאִמָּךְ, "the brother of your mother".
- **"From there marry for yourself a woman".** וְקַח לְךָ מִשָּׁם אִשָּׁה is rendered word for word by וְסַב לָךְ מִתַּמָּן אִתְּתָא, with the imperative of *nesav*, the ordinary verb 'take', used for taking a wife in 27:46 and 28:1.
- **Textual note.** The Yemenite text reads לְפַדַּן דַּאֲרָם, "to Padan of Aram", treating the name as a phrase with the particle *de-*, where the printed text has לְפַדַּן אֲרָם as a single name, like the Hebrew.
**Words to note:** אִזֵּיל *izzeil* — go (לֵךְ) · לְפַדַּן *le-faddan* — to Padan (פַּדֶּנָה) · אֲבוּהָא *avuha* — the father (אֲבִי) · וְסַב *ve-sav* — and marry (take) (וְקַח) · אֲחוּהָא *ahuha* — the brother (אֲחִי)
---
### Bereshit 28:3
**Torah**
וְאֵ֤ל שַׁדַּי֙ יְבָרֵ֣ךְ אֹֽתְךָ֔ וְיַפְרְךָ֖ וְיַרְבֶּ֑ךָ וְהָיִ֖יתָ לִקְהַ֥ל עַמִּֽים׃
**Translation**
May the Almighty, Shaddai, bless you, make you fruitful and multiply you. May you become an assembly of peoples.
**Onkelos**
וְאֵל שַׁדַּי יְבָרֵךְ יָתָךְ וְיַפְּשָׁךְ וְיַסְגִּנָּךְ וּתְהֵי לְכִנְשַׁת שִׁבְטִין
**Onkelos in English**
May the Almighty, Shaddai, bless you, increase you and multiply you. May you become an assembly of tribes.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"The Almighty, Shaddai".** The divine title וְאֵל שַׁדַּי is kept exactly as in the Hebrew.
- **"Increase you and multiply you".** The Hebrew וְיַפְרְךָ, "make you fruitful", is related to the word for fruit. Onkelos writes וְיַפְּשָׁךְ, "increase you", a verb of growing numerous, so the image of fruit is not carried over. וְיַרְבֶּךָ becomes וְיַסְגִּנָּךְ, "multiply you".
- **"An assembly of tribes".** The Hebrew לִקְהַל עַמִּים is "an assembly of peoples". Onkelos keeps the first word as לְכִנְשַׁת, "assembly", but renders "peoples" as שִׁבְטִין, "tribes". This suggests he understood the 'peoples' descended from Yaakov as the tribes of a single nation rather than as separate nations.
**Words to note:** וְיַפְּשָׁךְ *ve-yappeshakh* — and increase you (וְיַפְרְךָ) · וְיַסְגִּנָּךְ *ve-yasginnakh* — and multiply you (וְיַרְבֶּךָ) · וּתְהֵי *u-tehei* — may you become (וְהָיִיתָ) · לְכִנְשַׁת *le-khinshat* — an assembly of (לִקְהַל) · שִׁבְטִין *shivtin* — tribes (עַמִּים)
---
### Bereshit 28:4
**Torah**
וְיִֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ אֶת־בִּרְכַּ֣ת אַבְרָהָ֔ם לְךָ֖ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ֣ אִתָּ֑ךְ לְרִשְׁתְּךָ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ מְגֻרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן אֱלֹקִ֖ים לְאַבְרָהָֽם׃
**Translation**
May He give you the blessing of Avraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land of your dwelling which God gave to Avraham.
**Onkelos**
וְיִתֶּן לָךְ יָת בִּרְכְּתָא דְאַבְרָהָם לָךְ וְלִבְנָיךְ עִמָּךְ לְמֵירְתָךְ יָת אֲרַע תּוֹתָבוּתָךְ דִּי יְהַב ה׳ לְאַבְרָהָם
**Onkelos in English**
May He give you the blessing of Avraham, to you and to your children with you, that you may inherit the land of your dwelling which Hashem gave to Avraham.
**What Onkelos tells us**
- **"May He give... which Hashem gave".** The Hebrew uses one verb twice, וְיִתֶּן and נָתַן. Onkelos keeps the cognate וְיִתֶּן for the future form but uses a different verb, יְהַב, for the past.
- **"To your children".** The Hebrew וּלְזַרְעֲךָ, "to your seed", becomes וְלִבְנָיךְ, "to your children" (literally "sons"). The metaphor of seed gives way to the plain word, which may reflect a preference for stating the sense directly.
- **"The land of your dwelling".** אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֶיךָ uses a word from the root of sojourning. Onkelos renders it אֲרַע תּוֹתָבוּתָךְ, a noun related to *totav*, a resident settler, apparently from the same root as וְתֵתֵיב, "remain", in 27:44. The sense of living in a land as a resident who does not yet own it is kept.
- **"Which Hashem gave to Avraham".** The Hebrew has אֱלֹקִים, *Elokim*. Onkelos has ה׳, the Name, and the Yemenite text agrees. The general word for God is replaced by the Name in the giving of the land to Avraham.
**Words to note:** בִּרְכְּתָא *birketa* — the blessing (בִּרְכַּת) · וְלִבְנָיךְ *ve-livnakh* — and to your children (וּלְזַרְעֲךָ) · לְמֵירְתָךְ *le-mertakh* — that you may inherit (לְרִשְׁתְּךָ) · תּוֹתָבוּתָךְ *totavutakh* — your dwelling (מְגֻרֶיךָ) · יְהַב *yehav* — gave (נָתַן)
---
### Unit 3 summary
Onkelos follows the Hebrew closely here, with a handful of telling changes. Two different Hebrew words for Eisov's anger, *hamat* and *af*, become one Aramaic word, *rugza*, and the two clauses about its subsiding become identical in the printed text (the Yemenite text keeps the cognate *himta* in 27:44). The Hebrew verb 'take' is divided: for taking a wife Onkelos uses *nesav*, the ordinary verb 'take' (27:46, 28:1, 28:2), which also renders the birthright Eisov says Yaakov 'took' (27:36), while Rivkah's 'I will take you from there' becomes 'I will lead you', with *edberinakh*. Rivkah's 'I am disgusted' becomes 'I am distressed'. 'The daughters of Cheis' become 'the daughters of the Chitite', naming the people rather than the ancestor. In Yitzchok's blessing the 'assembly of peoples' becomes an 'assembly of tribes', 'your seed' becomes 'your children', and the closing *Elokim* is rendered by the Name, Hashem. The directional endings of the Hebrew place names become the Aramaic prefix *le-*, and Hebrew constructs such as 'your mother's father' are opened up with *de-*.
---
## Conclusion of the aliyah
### The movement of the aliyah
The aliyah moves from a blessing to its consequences. It opens with the last words of Yaakov's blessing and passes into the discovery scene, where Onkelos keeps the matching cognate phrases of father and son, Yitzchok's great astonishment and Eisov's great and bitter cry (27:33-34). Eisov's pleading ends in a blessing of his own, and there the Aramaic adds its clause about the words of the Torah (27:40). Eisov's grievance then hardens into enmity and a plan to kill; Rivkah answers with a plan to send Yaakov away, and Yitzchok closes the aliyah by sending Yaakov off with a charge about marriage and the blessing of Avraham. Throughout, the Aramaic follows the Hebrew closely in word order and structure, and its changes gather at the points of greatest weight: the blessings, the description of what Yaakov did, and the words about Eisov's anger.
### What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah
1. **"Kingdoms will be subjugated to you" (27:29).** One Hebrew verb, 'bow', becomes וְיִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּן for the nations and וְיִסְגְּדוּן for the brothers, presenting the nations' bowing as political subjection.
2. **"Will be cursed ... will be blessed" (27:29).** Onkelos supplies יְהוֹן, 'will be', in the two verbless clauses, turning them into explicit statements about the future.
3. **"Astonished with a great astonishment" (27:33).** The cognate construction is kept, but the verb changes: וּתְוָה ... תִּוְהָא presents Yitzchok's reaction as amazement rather than trembling.
4. **"With wisdom ... he received" (27:35).** 'With cunning' becomes בְּחָכְמְתָא and 'took' becomes וְקַבִּיל; together the changes perhaps present Yaakov as receiving the blessing rather than seizing it.
5. **"Rightly did he call his name Yaakov" (27:36).** Eisov's question becomes a statement with יָאוּת, 'rightly'.
6. **"He has ambushed me" (27:36, 27:42).** The wordplay on Yaakov's name is not reproduced: the verb וְכָמַנִי is from 'to lie in wait'. In the printed text the same root returns when Eisov himself is כָּמִן לָךְ, 'lying in wait for you', in place of 'consoling himself'.
7. **"When his sons transgress the words of the Torah" (27:40).** In place of the obscure 'when you break loose', Eisov's release from the yoke is made to depend on the conduct of Yaakov's descendants: a substantial interpretive expansion.
8. **"Kept enmity" (27:41).** The single verb 'hated' becomes the phrase וּנְטַר עֵשָׂו דְּבָבוּ, whose verb, 'to keep', may suggest hatred held onto over time.
9. **One word for anger (27:44-45).** The two Hebrew words for Eisov's anger both become רוּגְזָא, so that in the printed text the two clauses about its subsiding are identical.
10. **"I will lead you" (27:45).** Rivkah's 'take you from there' becomes וְאֶדְבְּרִנָּךְ, a verb of leading a person, while forms of the ordinary verb נְסִיב, 'take', serve for taking a wife (27:46, 28:1, 28:2) and for the birthright (27:36).
11. **"The daughters of the Chitite" (27:46).** חִתָּאָה names the people rather than the ancestor, and Rivkah's disgust becomes distress, עָקִית.
12. **"An assembly of tribes" (28:3).** 'Peoples' becomes שִׁבְטִין, which suggests that the peoples descended from Yaakov are understood as the tribes of one nation.
### Recurring features
- **One Hebrew verb divided by sense.** 'Bow' in 27:29 and 'take' across the aliyah are each rendered by more than one Aramaic verb, according to context; even 'give' and 'gave' in 28:4 take different verbs.
- **Images and idioms rendered by their sense.** 'Fatness' is 'goodness' (27:28, 27:39), 'make fruitful' is 'increase' (28:3), 'seed' is 'children' (28:4), 'listen to my voice' is 'accept from me' (27:43), and the idiom 'days, ones' is 'few days' (27:44).
- **Possible softenings.** 'Wisdom' for 'cunning' and 'received' for 'took' (27:35, 27:36), 'distressed' for 'disgusted' (27:46), and 'go' for 'flee' (27:43). The notes offer these as possibilities, with 'may' and 'perhaps'.
- **Coming as entering.** The Hebrew 'come' and 'bring' are rendered with the verb of entering in 27:31, 27:33 and 27:35; in 27:30 the printed text has 'came', with 'entered' recorded as another version.
- **Constructs opened with de-.** Hebrew construct chains are often rendered with the particle de-, as in 'the mourning days for my father' (27:41), 'your brother's anger' (27:44) and 'your mother's father' (28:2).
- **Close rendering of the dialogue.** Much of the conversation is rendered word for word, keeping cognate constructions such as the doubled 'going out he went out' (27:30) and 'he cried a cry' (27:34).
- **Printed against Yemenite.** A number of observations depend on readings of the printed text that the Yemenite text does not share; the notes mark them where they occur.
### Aliyah takeaway
In this aliyah Onkelos is above all a close translator: Eisov's return, his cry, and Rivkah's and Yitzchok's instructions are carried over almost word for word. That closeness makes the departures stand out, and they gather around the blessings and around what Yaakov did. The nations are subjugated rather than merely bowing, Yaakov comes with wisdom and receives the blessing, Eisov's release from the yoke is tied to whether Yaakov's descendants keep the words of the Torah, and the assembly of peoples becomes an assembly of tribes. Read beside the Hebrew, the Aramaic offers one consistent reading of a hard chapter, in which the blessing that passes to Yaakov carries a future that depends on his children's conduct.
---
## Aramaic word list for the aliyah
| Aramaic | Transliteration | Meaning | Hebrew in the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| וּמִטּוּבָא | *u-mi-tuva* | and of the goodness | וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי |
| וּסְגִיאוּת | *u-segi'ut* | and abundance | וְרֹב |
| עִיבוּר | *ivur* | grain | דָּגָן |
| וַחֲמָר | *va-hamar* | and wine | וְתִירֹשׁ |
| יִפְלְחֻנָּךְ | *yiflehunnakh* | will serve you | יַעַבְדוּךָ |
| וְיִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּן | *ve-yishta'bedun* | and will be subjugated | וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ |
| מַלְכְּוָן | *malkevan* | kingdoms | לְאֻמִּים |
| רַב | *rav* | master | גְבִיר |
| וְיִסְגְּדוּן | *ve-yisgedun* | and will bow | וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ |
| מְלַטְטָיךְ | *melatetaykh* | those who curse you | אֹרְרֶיךָ |
| שֵׁיצֵי | *sheitzei* | had finished | כִּלָּה |
| בְּרַם | *beram* | just | אַךְ |
| תַּבְשִׁילִין | *tavshilin* | cooked dishes | מַטְעַמִּים |
| וְאָעֵיל | *ve-a'eil* | and brought in | וַיָּבֵא |
| וּתְוָה | *u-teva* | was astonished | וַיֶּחֱרַד |
| תִּוְהָא | *tivha* | astonishment | חֲרָדָה |
| דֵּיכִי | *deikhi* | then | אֵפוֹא |
| תֵיעוֹל | *tei'ol* | you came in | תָּבוֹא |
| אַף | *af* | indeed (also) | גַּם |
| פִּתְגָּמֵי | *pitgamei* | words | דִּבְרֵי |
| עַל | *al* | came in (entered) | בָּא |
| בְּחָכְמְתָא | *be-hokhmeta* | with wisdom | בְּמִרְמָה |
| וְקַבִּיל | *ve-kabbil* | and he received | וַיִּקַּח |
| יָאוּת | *ya'ut* | rightly | הֲכִי |
| וְכָמַנִי | *ve-khamani* | and he has ambushed me | וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי |
| זִמְנִין | *zimnin* | times | פַעֲמַיִם |
| נְסִיב | *nesiv* | he took; (of a wife) married | לָקָח |
| קַבִּיל | *kabbil* | he has received | לָקַח |
| שְׁבַקְתָּ | *shevakta* | you have left | אָצַלְתָּ |
| עִלַּוָּךְ | *illavakh* | over you (another version) | לָךְ |
| וְעִיבוּר | *ve-ivur* | and grain | וְדָגָן |
| סְעִדְתֵּהּ | *se'idteh* | I have sustained him | סְמַכְתִּיו |
| הָכָא | *hakha* | here | אֵפוֹא |
| אַבָּא | *abba* | my father | אָבִי |
| בָּרֵךְ | *barekh* | bless | בָּרְכֵנִי |
| וַאֲרֵים | *va-areim* | and raised | וַיִּשָּׂא |
| מִטּוּבָא | *mi-tuva* | of the goodness | מִשְׁמַנֵּי |
| מוֹתְבָךְ | *motvakh* | your dwelling | מוֹשָׁבֶךָ |
| מִלְּעֵלָא | *mi-le'ela* | from above | מֵעָל |
| תִּפְלָח | *tiflah* | you shall serve | תַּעֲבֹד |
| יַעְבְּרוּן | *ya'berun* | they transgress | — |
| אוֹרַיְתָא | *orayta* | the Torah | — |
| וְתַעְדִּי | *ve-ta'di* | you will remove | וּפָרַקְתָּ |
| נִירֵהּ | *nireh* | his yoke | עֻלּוֹ |
| וּנְטַר | *u-netar* | kept | וַיִּשְׂטֹם |
---
## Source note
**Aliyah boundary.** Bereshit 27:28 – 28:4, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria's index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 28:5).
**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.