In verse 28 Isaac asks that God give Jacob moisture for the land (crops), fertile lands, and the blessing of grain and wine.

May God give you the dew of heaven: May God give is a petition addressed to God and must often be restructured in translation to say, for example, “I pray that God will give you,” “I ask God to grant you.” Dew as coming from God, from above, or from heaven is mentioned in the Hebrew text of Deut 33.28; Hos 14.5; Zech 8.12, as a condition of fertility. The reference is to the night dew that forms on the ground during the cooling period on hot summer nights. The dew supplies moisture for the plants.

In translation we should attempt to represent the narrator’s view that the dew is from heaven or sent by God: for example, “I ask that God send you dew for your lands” or “May God make the dew come down on your crops.”

And of the fatness of the earth: this is likewise an object of May God give. Fatness refers to fat or rich foods in 49.20. In relation to land the sense is “fertile,” as in Num 13.20 (“rich”); Neh 9.25, 35 (“rich land”). Therefore the prayer is that God give Jacob rich, fertile, productive lands. In some languages this may be translated “I ask God to give you gardens that grow abundant crops” or “… all kinds of good crops.”

And plenty of grain and wine: this line makes concrete what it means in the previous one to have fertile, rich lands. Plenty does not mean just to have sufficient but rather to have a great amount. Grain translates the word for wheat but is also used generally for cereals or grass seeds that are eaten. In Revised English Bible it is translated “corn,” which in British usage refers to different varieties of grain. The word is used along with “wine” to indicate good crops generally.

In areas where neither grains or wine are known, it may be necessary to shift to more general expressions and say “food and drink” or “things to eat and drink.” It may also be possible to substitute local common crops and local drinks.

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 .