Genesis 27

ENGWEBEnglish46 verses

1When Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, “My son?” He said to him, “Here I am.”

2He said, “See now, I am old. I don’t know the day of my death.

3Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison.

4Make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless you before I die.”

5Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

6Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,

7‘Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before Yahweh before my death.’

8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you.

9Go now to the flock, and get me from there two good young goats. I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves.

10You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”

11Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

12What if my father touches me? I will seem to him as a deceiver, and I would bring a curse on myself, and not a blessing.”

13His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go get them for me.”

14He went, and got them, and brought them to his mother. His mother made savory food, such as his father loved.

15Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son.

16She put the skins of the young goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck.

17She gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18He came to his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me.”

20Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He said, “Because Yahweh your God gave me success.”

21Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

22Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

23He didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother, Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.

24He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”

25He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless you.” He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank.

26His father Isaac said to him, “Come near now, and kiss me, my son.”

27He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, “Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Yahweh has blessed.

28God give you of the dew of the sky, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine.

29Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers. Let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you. Blessed be everyone who blesses you.”

30As soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that your soul may bless me.”

32Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” He said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who, then, is he who has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, he will be blessed.”

34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, my father.”

35He said, “Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.”

36He said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing.” He said, “Haven’t you reserved a blessing for me?”

37Isaac answered Esau, “Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers have I given to him for servants. With grain and new wine have I sustained him. What then will I do for you, my son?”

38Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.” Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

39Isaac his father answered him, “Behold, of the fatness of the earth will be your dwelling, and of the dew of the sky from above.

40By your sword will you live, and you will serve your brother. It will happen, when you will break loose, that you shall shake his yoke from off your neck.”

41Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.

43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran.

44Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away;

45until your brother’s anger turn away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send, and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”

46Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?”

Commentary

Chapter 27 In this chapter we return to the typical story of the struggle between Esau and Jacob. Esau had profanely sold the birthright to Jacob; but Esau hopes he shall be never the poorer, nor Jacob the richer, for that bargain, while he preserves his interest in his father’s affections, and so secures the blessing. Here therefore we find how he was justly punished for his contempt of the birthright (of which he foolishly deprived himself) with the loss of the blessing, of which Jacob fraudulently deprives him. Thus this story is explained, Heb. 12:16, 17, "Because he sold the birthright, when he would have inherited the blessing he was rejected." For those that make light of the name and profession of religion, and throw them away for a trifle, thereby forfeit the powers and privileges of it. We have here, I. Isaac’s purpose to entail the blessing upon Esau (v. 1-5). II. Rebekah’s plot to procure it for Jacob (v. 6–17). III. Jacob’s successful management of the plot, and his obtaining the blessing (v. 18–29). IV. Esau’s resentment of this, in which, 1. His great importunity with his father to obtain a blessing (v. 30–40). 2. His great enmity to his brother for defrauding him of the first blessing (v. 41, etc.).Verses 1-5 Here is, I. Isaac’s design to make his will, and to declare Esau his heir. The promise of the Messiah and the land of Canaan was a great trust, first committed to Abraham, inclusive and typical of spiritual and eternal blessings; this, by divine direction, he transmitted to Isaac. Isaac, being now old, and not knowing, or not understanding, or not duly considering, the divine oracle concerning his two sons, that the elder should serve the younger, resolves to entail all the honour and power that were wrapped up in the promise upon Esau his eldest son. In this he was governed more by natural affection, and the common method of settlements, than he ought to have been, if he know (as it is probable he did) the intimations God had given of his mind in this matter. Note, We are very apt to take our measures rather from our own reason than from divine revelation, and thereby often miss our way; we think the wise and learned, the mighty and noble, should inherit the promise; but God sees not as man sees. See 1 Sa. 16:6, 7.II. The directions he gave to Esau, pursuant to this design. He calls him to him, v. 1. For Esau, though married, had not yet removed; and, though he had greatly grieved his parents by his marriage, yet they had not expelled him, but it seems were pretty well reconciled to him, and made the best of it. Note, Parents that are justly offended at their children yet must not be implacable towards them.1. He tells him upon what considerations he resolved to do this now (v. 2): "I am old, and therefore must die shortly, yet I know not the day of my death, nor when I must die; I will therefore do that at this time which must be done some time." Note, (1.) Old people should be reminded by the growing infirmities of age to do quickly, and with all the little might they have, what their hand finds to do. See Jos. 13:1. (2.) The consideration of the uncertainty of the time of our departure out of the world (about which God has wisely kept us in the dark) should quicken us to do the work of the day in its day. The heart and the house should both be set, and kept, in order, because at such an hour as we think not the son of man comes; because we know not the day of our death, we are concerned to mind the business of life.2. He bids him to get things ready for the solemnity of executing his last will and testament, by which he designed to make him his heir, v. 3, 4. Esau must go a hunting, and bring some venison, which his father will eat of, and then bless him. In this he designed, not so much the refreshment of his own spirits, that he might give the blessing in a lively manner, as it is commonly taken, but rather the receiving of a fresh instance of his son’s filial duty and affection to him, before he bestowed this favour upon him. Perhaps Esau, since he had married, had brought his venison to his wives, and seldom to his father, as formerly (ch. 25:28), and therefore Isaac, before he would bless him, would have him show this piece of respect to him. Note, It is fit, if the less be blessed of the greater, that the greater should be served and honoured by the less He says, That my soul may bless thee before I die. Note, (1.) Prayer is the work of the soul, and not of the lips only; as the soul must be employed in blessing God (Ps. 103:1), so it must be in blessing ourselves and others: the blessing will not come to the heart if it do not come from the heart. (2.) The work of life must be done before we die, for it cannot be done afterwards (Eccl. 9:10); and it is very desirable, when we come to die, to have nothing else to do but to die. Isaac lived above forty years after this; let none therefore think that they shall die the sooner for making their wills and getting ready for death.

CHAPTER 27Ge 27:1-27. Infirmity of Isaac.1. when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim—He was in his hundred thirty-seventh year; and apprehending death to be near, Isaac prepared to make his last will—an act of the gravest importance, especially as it included the conveyance through a prophetic spirit of the patriarchal blessing.

27:1-5 The promises of the Messiah, and of the land of Canaan, had come down to Isaac. Isaac being now about 135 years of age, and his sons about 75, and not duly considering the Divine word concerning his two sons, that the elder should serve the younger, resolved to put all the honour and power that were in the promise, upon Esau his eldest son. We are very apt to take measures rather from our own reason than from Divine revelation, and thereby often miss our way.

27:1 Here is Isaac's design to declare Esau his heir.

Read the full commentary Audio, full commentary and offline reading

Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG ይስሐቅ ሸምግሎ ዓይኖቹ ከማየት በፈዘዙ ጊዜ ታላቁን ልጁን ዔሳውን ጠርቶ፦ “ልጄ ሆይ፡” አለው፤ እርሱም፦ “እነሆ አለሁ፡” አለው። አማርኛ ENGNIV When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to … English BCV ይስሓቅ ኣሪጉ ኣዒንቱ ደኺመን ምርኣይ ምስ ሰኣና፥ ንኤሳው ነቲ ዓብዪ ወዱ ፀዊዑ “ኣታ ወደይ!” በሎ። ንሱ ኸዓ “እኒሀኹ” በሎ። ትግርኛ GAZBIB Yisihaq dulloomee iji isaas bararisee yeroo arguu dhabetti, Esaawuun ilma isaa isa angafa waamee,“Yaa ilma ko!” jedheen… Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወኮነ እምድኅረ ልህቀ ይስሐቅ ረሥአ ወተሐምጋ አዕይንቲሁ ወኢይሬኢ ወጸውዖ ለዔሳው ወልዱ ዘይልህቅ። giz GAZGAZ Yisihaq dulloomee iji isaas bararisee yeroo arguu dhabetti, Esaawuun ilma isaa isa angafa waamee,“Yaa ilma ko!” jedheen… Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ይስሓቅ ኣሪጉ ኣዒንቱ ደኺመን ምርኣይ ምስ ሰኣና፥ ንኤሳው ነቲ ዓብዪ ወዱ ፀዊዑ “ኣታ ወደይ!” በሎ። ንሱ ኸዓ “እኒሀኹ” በሎ። ትግርኛ AMHNIV ይስሐቅ አርጅቶ፣ ዐይኖቹ ደክመው ማየት በተሳናቸው ጊዜ፣ ታላቁን ልጁን ዔሳውን ጠርቶ፣ “ልጄ ሆይ” አለው። እርሱም፣ “እነሆ፤ አለሁ” አለ። አማርኛ