Genesis 27:8

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Download a study sheet

One document with this verse’s original text, its word-by-word gloss line, the meaning frame, cross-references with their text, attributed commentary, and full source and license credits — printable, and it pastes into notes with its structure intact.

This verse Autodidact and up

Study sheet (.html) Plain text (.txt)

A passage Seminary Student

Up to 50 verses in one chapter. A passage sheet keeps up to 6 commentary sources and 12 cross-references per verse, in the order this page ranks them, and says so on the sheet whenever that leaves anything out. Ask for a single verse and you get the Autodidact verse sheet above.

Everything on this page stays free to read, with no account — the sheet is a download of what is already on screen, not access to it.

Want to remove ads? Support Godless Engineer

Word by word

More ways to search: Search by grammar → Find every occurrence → Compare this word →

Practice this passage: Drill this verse → Learn its vocabulary →

וְעַתָּ֥ה

ʻattâh

H6258

“and · now”

Conjunction + Adverb

Appears 435× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears at Genesis 3:22

Full BDB Definition

Origin: from H6256

TWOT: 1650c

now - now - in phrases

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

8: words
8: distinct lemmas
Pentateuch: section

Grammatical profile

2 verbs
2 nouns
1 pronoun
1 adverb
2 particles

Verb forms

שְׁמַ֣ע Qal · Imperative
מְצַוָּ֥ה Piel · Participle Active

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 14 words from the Hebrew and 11 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 8 Hebrew tokens and 9 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Genesis 27:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Genesis 27:13 His mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go get them for me."
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.
Genesis 25:23 Yahweh said to her, Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger.
Genesis 27:43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran.
Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves,

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Genesis 27:8 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

וְעַתָּ֥ה בְנִ֖י שְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלִ֑י לַאֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י מְצַוָּ֥ה אֹתָֽךְ

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Genesis 27:8 Septuagint · lemma form

νῦν οὖν υἱός ἀκούω ἐγώ καθά ἐγώ σύ ἐντέλλομαι

Now then, my son, listen to me, as I command you.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Targum (Aramaic paraphrase)

The Targum is the ancient Jewish Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures — an interpretive translation, not the Hebrew text itself. Onkelos (literal) and Pseudo-Jonathan (expansive) render the Torah, and Jonathan the Prophets. Coverage is partial: where no permissively-licensed English translation exists for a verse, only the Aramaic is shown. This is verse-level text, not a word-by-word alignment to the Hebrew.

Targum Onkelos Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

וּכְעַן בְּרִי קַבֵּל מִנִי לְמָא דִי אֲנָא מפַקֵד יָתָךְ

(no public-domain English translation for this verse)

Targum Onkelos — Aramaic: “Onkelos Genesis” (public domain); “Onkelos Exodus” (public domain); “Onkelos Leviticus” (public domain); “Onkelos Numbers” (public domain); “Onkelos Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “J.W. Etheridge. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the Pentateuch. London: Longmans, Green, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

וּכְעַן בְּרִי קַבֵּיל מִנִי לְמָא דַאֲנָא מְפַקֵיד יָתָךְ

receive from me what I command thee:

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan — Aramaic: “Targum Jonathan on Genesis” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Exodus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Leviticus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Numbers” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, trans. J. W. Etheridge, London, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

Commentary

Notes on Genesis 27:8 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Gen 27:8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

Ver. 8. How therefore, my son, obey my voice.] Which yet he ought not to have done, because she commanded him that which was evil: and they that do thus, are peremptores, potius quam parentes; rather parricides than parents, as saith St Bernard.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

8. obey my voice] Jacob is Rebekah’s favourite; cf. Gen_25:28. Rebekah is prepared to deceive Isaac, in order that Jacob may obtain the coveted blessing. As in chap. 24, she shews energy and decision. She believes that Isaac’s blessing of Esau would have the effect of reversing the oracle she herself had received (Gen_25:23) and nullifying the privilege Jacob had purchased (Gen_25:33). She is jealous for his sake.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice,.... Hearken to what I am about to say, and do

according to that which I command thee, in every particular; she required of him filial obedience to all that she enjoined him; which, though not difficult to be performed, she was aware Jacob would make objections to, as he did; and therefore she is so pressing and peremptory in her injunctions, as well knowing it was respecting an affair of the greatest moment and importance.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

8. Obey my voice — Rebekah heard (Gen_27:5) and spake (Gen_27:6) on the subject pending with Isaac, for she, too, had a divine relation to the covenant blessing. And when she saw Isaac’s determination to go counter to what she knew to be the divine word, she has no hesitation in seeking to thwart his purpose.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

Now therefore, my son, Jacob at this time was not a lad, but a grown man of mature years (if Isaac was 137, he must have been 77), which shows that in the following transaction he was rather an accomplice than a toolobey my voice according to that which I command thee. We can scarcely here think of a mother laying her imperative instructions on a docile and unquestioning child; but of a wily woman detailing her well-concocted scheme to a son whom she discerns to be possessed of a like crafty disposition with herself, and whom she seeks to gain over to her stratagem by reminding him of the close and endearing relationship in which they stand to one another.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

unfoldingWord translationNotes

Door43 World Missions Community

General Information:

Rebekah continues to speak to her younger son Jacob.

Now

This does not mean "at this moment," but is used to draw attention to the important point that follows.

obey my voice as I command you

Rebekah said "my voice" to refer to what she was saying. AT: "obey me and do what I tell you" (See: Metonymy)

I will make delicious food from them for your father, just like he loves

The word "delicious" refers to something that tastes very good. See how a similar sentence was translated in Genesis 27:4.

You will take it to your father

"Then take it to your father"

so that he may eat it, so that he may bless you

"and after he eats it, he will bless you"

he may bless you

The word "bless" refers to the formal blessing a father pronounces on his children.

before his death

"before he dies"

translationWords

obey

command

flocks

goat

bless

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Radak

Rabbi David Kimhi (Radak)

ועתה...לך נא אל הצאן, to their flocks.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Genesis, in the Pentateuch, opens this verse with 8 words (8 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is ʻattâh (“now”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

The word ʻattâh carries the sense “now.” How does it shape the verse?
How does Ephesians 6:1, which shares this passage’s theme, read alongside this verse?
The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
«שְׁמַ֣ע» is a Qal Imperative verb. How does that grammatical form shape the action described?
Compare how Trapp's Complete Commentary and The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

This verse counts 8 Hebrew ↔ 9 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 7 words in this verse.
8 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 8 words in this verse.