Jacob completes his instructions to his sons by asking God’s mercy for them as they depart.

May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man: God Almighty translates ʾEl Shaddai. This term for God was first used in 17.1 and as a blessing in 28.3. Mercy here means “kindness,” “compassion,” “pity.” See Good News Translation. We may translate, for example, “May God cause the man to be kind to you,” “I ask God who is all powerful to make the ruler show pity on you,” or “My prayer is that God will help this man’s thinking so that he will have pity on you.” In some languages this expression is stated in figurative terms; for example, “May God cause the ruler’s heart to be warm toward you.”

That he may send back your other brother and Benjamin: the Hebrew of this clause says “that he may send [release] your other brother [meaning Simeon] to you [plural] and Benjamin [who has not yet gone].” Good News Translation, which places Benjamin before the other brother (Simeon), translates “give Benjamin and your other brother back to you”; Bible en français courant also follows that order but names the other brother as Simeon: “by letting Benjamin and Simeon return with you [plural].” Both of these are good models.

If I am bereaved…, I am bereaved: this brief exclamation consists of three words in the Hebrew “If [I am] bereaved, [I am] bereaved.” Of my children is not expressed in the Hebrew but is understood. Bereaved means to suffer the loss of one or more loved ones because of death. This expresses Jacob’s deep sense of loss as he gives his sons his farewell blessing. The underlying sense of this kind of expression is “I must go through with this, even though I have no control or knowledge of the outcome.” For a similar construction and sense, see Est 4.16. We may say, for example, “If I must lose my children, then let it be so,” “If it happens that I lose my children, then I must lose them,” or “If I am to end up without any sons, then I will be without any sons.” See Good News Translation.

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 .