Take your father and your households, and come to me: for take your father Revised English Bible say “Fetch your father…,” which means “go and get.” We may also say, for example, “bring your father….” Households means “families” or “relatives.” When he says come to me, the king speaks of Egypt as being himself. It may be more natural to say “come back to Egypt” or “come back here.”

I will give you the best of the land of Egypt: best means “the best area,” “the best region.” When spoken to herdsmen (as Jacob’s family are), best has a quite different meaning than it would have when spoken to farmers. The king has in mind areas where animals will find the best pastures. We may translate as the “best region [or, territory; or, area] of Egypt” or “the best pasture lands in Egypt.”

You shall eat the fat of the land: in 27.28 Isaac blesses Jacob with “the fatness of the earth,” which refers to the land’s rich fertility and growth. In Ezek 34.14 a “good pasture” is called in Hebrew “a fat pasture.” In this verse fat of the land refers to good produce, as Bible en français courant translates: “You will have available the best produce of the country.” We may also say, for example, “You [plural] will have the best food there is to eat in this country.”

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 .