Genesis 27:3

Take your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Isaac speaks to Esau while acknowledging his advanced age and the uncertainty of his death. He issues the command immediately before directing the preparation of a meal for the impending blessing.

The words — The Hebrew שָׂא (sa') translates literally to "take up," paired with כֵלֶיךָ (khelei/ka) meaning "your weapons." This phrasing commands the immediate gathering of hunting gear rather than a casual request.

The thread — The directive aligns with Genesis 25:27, which establishes Esau as a skillful hunter and man of the field, and echoes the hunter motif in Genesis 10:9. The narrative treats the activity as a established family duty rather than a spiritual exercise.

Why it lands — The verse requires attention to a dying patriarch's practical preparation for a covenantal ritual. It demands recognition that physical obedience precedes spoken blessing in the sequence of events.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְעַתָּה֙ve./'a.Tahand/ therefore שָׂא־sa'-take up נָ֣אna'please כֵלֶ֔יךָkhe.Lei./khaweapons/ your תֶּלְיְךָ֖tel.ye./Khaquiver/ your וְקַשְׁתֶּ֑ךָve./kash.Te./chaand/ bow/ your וְצֵא֙ve./Tze'and/ go out הַשָּׂדֶ֔הha./sa.Dehthe/ field וְצ֥וּדָהve./Tzu.da/hand/ hunt/ !לִּ֖יl/ifor <the>/ meצָֽיִד׃tzeidwild game

King James Version

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

Cross-references

Genesis 25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.
Genesis 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.”
1 Corinthians 6:12 “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.