Tafsiran Kejadian 27:19: Rashi, Chizkuni, Rashbam & Or HaChaim

אנכי עשו בכרך I AM ESAU THY FIRST-BORN — I am he that brings food to you, and Esau is your first-born.

אנכי, עשו בכור, “it is I; Esau is your firstborn.” There are some commentators who claim that Yaakov considered the situation as so critical for his future that he permitted himself the kind of lie his grandfather Avraham had used when he referred to his wife by saying that she was his sister. (Ibn Ezra) He had also used a similarly false statement before the binding of Yitzchok, when he told the accompanying lads that both he and Yitzchok would return to them from Mount Moriah, something which at that time was a lie, as he expected to slaughter Yitzchok. (Genesis 20,13) David in Samuel I 21,3 told the High Priest in the town of Nof that he was on a mission from his king, which was not true, as he was in the process of fleeing from him. The prophet Michayu told the king of Israel, Achav, in Kings I 22,15 who had asked him if his planned war to recapture Yavesh Gilad would be successful. He wished the king success, making it appear that his answer was in the affirmative, though he knew that Achav would not return alive from that battle, but would be killed. In Kings II 8,10 the prophet Elisha sent a message to King Ben Haddad of Aram who was ill that he would recover, when he knew full well that this was not so. He had told the messenger whom the king had sent to him the truth, however. An alternate exegesis of Yaakov’s words: “I am taking the place of Esau your firstborn.” He felt entitled to use this formulation as Esau had already sold him the birthright (48 years earlier).

ואכלה מצידי, the letter א has a chataf kametz abbreviated kametz, underneath it as the word is in an imperative mode. We have a parallel mode in Kohelet 9,7 אכול בשמחה לחמך, “eat your food joyfully,” the letter א having an abbreviated vowel segol for the same reason. On the other hand, the word ואוכלה in ואוכלה מציד בני in verse 25 of this chapter has the vowel cholem, as it is in a future mode. Just as the word זכור in זכור ה' לדוד, ”O Lord, remember in David’s favour” is in an imperative mode, and the words זכרה לחסדי דוד, “remember the loyalty of Your servant David” in Chronicles II 6,42 are in an imperative mode, so the word אכלה here is also in the imperative mode.

עשיתי I HAVE DONE many things at different times כאשר דברת אלי ACCORDING AS THOU SPAKEST UNTO ME