He said, “Are you really my son Esau?”: it may be necessary to render said with “asked,” “inquired,” “questioned Jacob.” And since this is not the first time Isaac has asked this question, it will be more natural in many languages to say “he asked him again.” The wording follows that expressed already by Isaac in verse 21.

He answered: he is Jacob, which may need to be expressed as “Jacob answered him.” I am is literally “I.” In some languages this reply may be “Yes, sir,” “I am who you say,” “I am Esau.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .