Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Genesis Chapter 27 mean?

By the end of Genesis 27, Isaac will have handed the family blessing down to his second-born, Jacob. This should seem unusual, since Esau is technically oldest and is entitled to that inheritance. At the start of the chapter, though, Isaac has no intention of doing so. Instead, Isaac sets out to confer the blessing on Esau, the firstborn of the two twins. Isaac is old and blind. He believes himself to be near the end of his life. The time has come to pass the blessing on (Genesis 27:1–4).

When the day comes, Isaac tells Esau to go out into the field to hunt fresh game and to prepare for him a delicious meal. When Esau returns, Isaac will eat the meal and give to Esau the blessing. Esau agrees, which is a far cry from his earlier attitude—an oath, given to Jacob, in a moment of recklessness, to sell his birthright (Genesis 25:29–34).

Isaac’s wife Rebekah overhears the exchange between Isaac and Esau (Genesis 27:5). She loves Jacob more than Esau (Genesis 25:28), and she wants him to receive this critical blessing. Before the twins were even born, Rebekah received an oracle from the Lord prophesying that the younger would one day rule over the older (Genesis 25:23). Rebekah decides to step in to help that prophecy along. As was the case with Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, trying to “help” God’s plans usually backfires (Genesis 16:1–5; 21:9–12).

Rebekah compels Jacob to participate in a scheme to deceive Isaac into giving him the blessing by pretending to be Esau. She will prepare the meal Isaac is expecting from Esau. She will dress Jacob in Esau’s clothes to make him smell like his brother. She will cover his smooth hands, arms, and neck with goat’s skin to make him feel to the touch like hairy Esau. This is an elaborate, very deliberate act of deceit.

Jacob offers one objection about the plan: What if his father catches on and curses him instead of giving him the blessing? It’s worth noting that Jacob’s concern here is not about whether or not this action is moral; rather, his concern is only about what will happen if he is caught in the lie. Rebekah assures Jacob the curse will fall to her if that happens. She commands him to obey and do what she says. Jacob agrees (Genesis 27:6–13).

When Jacob goes to his blind father with the meal, it seems the plan is doomed from the start. Isaac knows it’s too soon for Esau to have returned, and the voice of this man claiming to be Esau sounds like Jacob. Jacob is forced to lie outright to Isaac insisting that he is Esau. This statement—deception about his identity—is something God will turn on Jacob later in his life (Genesis 29:21–26; 32:24–28). Isaac is finally convinced by Jacob’s disguised hairy hands and the smell of the fields on his clothes (Genesis 27:14–25).

As the son of Abraham and receiver of the promises of God, Isaac’s prayer of blessing carries the weight of certainty. Isaac knows God will bring his blessing to pass. He prays for great wealth in grain and in the fat of the land. He also prays for the one before him to be lord over his brothers and other nations. Finally, Isaac passes on the promise that all who bless or curse this one will receive the same in return (Genesis 27:26–29).

Moments after Jacob leaves with these blessings from Isaac, Esau returns with his own meal. Shocked and shaking with anger, Isaac realizes he has been duped by Jacob. Still, he says the blessing will stand. Jacob will be blessed (Genesis 27:30–35).

Esau is distraught. He recalls the time Jacob “cheated” him out of the birthright for a bowl of stew and mocks the meaning of Jacob’s name. Ya’aqob literally means “heel grabber” or “usurper.” In more casual understanding, the name can be understood as “he lies,” or “cheater.” This is a somewhat ironic moment, since Esau’s oath to sell the birthright should have meant allowing Jacob to take the blessing in the first place. Esau begs his father for some kind of blessing of his own (Genesis 27:36–38).

That blessing, though, reads more like a curse. Esau and his descendants will be wanderers, living away from moisture and the fat of the land. They will live by the sword and only at some point in the future break free from the rule of his brother (Genesis 27:39–40). The sad end of this family strife, lived out through the nations of Israel and Edom, is summarized in the book of Obadiah.

Esau, heartbroken and bitter, falls into a dark rage, committing himself to murder Jacob after Isaac dies. Rebekah learns of his plan and urges Jacob to obey her once more by running away to live with her brother Laban in Mesopotamia. She then urges Isaac to send Jacob away to find a wife from among her own people (Genesis 27:41–46). Her punishment for this fraud is not small; so far as we can tell from Scripture, Rebekah will never see Jacob again (Genesis 35:27; 49:31).

Chapter Context
Prior chapters described the prosperity of Isaac, living in the Valley of Gerar. Genesis 27 leaps forward to near the end of Isaac’s life. The time has come to pass on the family blessing. Isaac’s intention to give that blessing to firstborn, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac’s wife Rebekah and his other son Jacob. Isaac overcomes his suspicions that the man before him is not Esau and delivers the very blessing of God on Jacob. Esau is left with a near-curse and a murderous rage. Rebekah urges Jacob to go to her brother’s household, a plan Isaac will endorse in the following chapter. There, he will ironically experience the sting of deception in his own life.

Verse by Verse

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

Several things about this verse and those that follow may be surprising to modern readers. First, it was apparently customary for fathers, near the end of their lives, to gather all of their children to explain their wishes and to pass on their property. In a time before written wills, and when families might include multiple wives and many children, this makes sense. Here, though, Isaac only calls one of his sons, Esau, and not Esau’s twin brother, Jacob.

It is also surprising because of what we were told at the end of the previous chapter about Esau. His marriages to local Canaanite women had made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah. Why would Isaac now be so eager to pass on his blessing to Esau alone?

The blatant favoritism in the family certainly comes into play (Genesis 25:28). Isaac probably assumes that if Rebekah or Jacob know about what’s about to happen, they will interfere. Isaac’s near-blindness will play an important role in the tragically comic scenes to follow.

Context Summary
Genesis 27:1–29 describes how the Abrahamic family blessing came to second-born Jacob, instead of his firstborn brother, Esau. Isaac intends to give the blessing to his favored son, Esau. Rebekah commands Jacob to impersonate Esau, instead, in order to get the blessing for himself. Isaac almost catches on but is convinced by the smell of Esau on Jacob’s borrowed clothes, and the hairy, Esau-like goat’s skin on Jacob’s hands. Isaac gives to Jacob the future-defining blessing of God.

Verse 2. He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.

Isaac, now quite old, has summoned Esau. He calls out to him, and Esau lets him know that he is present. This response is necessary because, as the previous verse explains, Isaac’s eyes are dim and he can no longer see.

Now Isaac launches into a prepared speech for Esau, beginning with the reality that he is old and he could die at any time. We will learn that Isaac’s intention is to pass on his blessing to Esau before it’s too late.

This is the kind of statement that probably should have been made in the presence of both sons. However, Isaac and his wife Rebekah suffer from overt favoritism when it comes to their sons (Genesis 25:28). Isaac probably assumes that if Rebekah knows what is about to happen, she will find some way to interfere. As it turns out, this is absolutely true.

It’s also possible, but not stated, that Isaac knows that Esau has sold his birthright to Jacob, and this is an attempt to bless Esau without letting that mistake interfere (Genesis 25:29–34). This motivation is not stated in Scripture, however.

Verse 3. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me,

Isaac, old and blind and near the end of his life, calls his firstborn Esau to his side (Genesis 27:1–2). His intention is to pass on the blessing to Esau before it’s too late. First, though, Isaac wants Esau to hunt and kill some game for him to eat. This ability to hunt was given earlier as the reason Isaac preferred Esau over his second son, Jacob (Genesis 25:28). That favoritism might have something to do with how Isaac is handling this conversation. Passing along his final blessing and dying wishes, one would think, a father would want to do in the presence of his entire family. This background of rivalry and favoritism suggests Isaac’s motives in this case.

As it turns out, there are some valid reasons for this concern. Upcoming verses will explain that Rebekah, who prefers Jacob, has overheard this conversation. She will plot with her younger son to steal the blessing Isaac plans to bestow.

Verse 4. and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

Isaac summons his firstborn son to his side with what would have been good news. He intends to impart his blessing to Esau (Genesis 27:1–3). First, though, Isaac wants Esau to go hunt and kill some game and to prepare it for him as a delicious meal. Isaac proclaims his love for the food provided by Esau, the hunter.

The end of chapter 25 revealed that Isaac loved Esau for this very reason, his son’s ability to bring him good meat to eat (Genesis 25:28). Before he gives the blessing to Esau, he would like to experience this again. We have seen that both Isaac and Esau share a strong appetite for food. Scripture also indicated that Rebekah, Isaac’s wife and mother of his twin sons, prefers the younger, Jacob.

As will become clear later in this chapter, the blessing Isaac is referring to is not merely good wishes from a dying father. He is prepared to give to Esau a specific blessing that will make him lord over his brothers. Rebekah, it turns out, is able to overhear this conversation. She will hatch a plot, along with Jacob, to steal this blessing (Genesis 27:5–8). This adds another layer of controversy to the family; Jacob had previously convinced Esau to sell him the birthright (Genesis 25:29–34).

Verse 5. Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,

In the previous verses, Isaac, now quite old and blind, had summoned Esau to his side. He explained his intent to pass his fatherly blessing on to Esau. First though, Isaac asked Esau to go hunt for fresh game and prepare him a meal (Genesis 27:1–4). This skill with obtaining meat was given earlier in Scripture as the reason Isaac favored Esau (Genesis 25:28). Jacob, the second of the twin sons, was instead favored by his mother, Rebekah.

Rebekah overhears this exchange between Isaac and Esau. Was she intentionally spying on Isaac? It’s not clear, but a pattern of deception and manipulation has been established among the various members of the family. Jacob had bamboozled his older brother into selling his birthright at some point in the past (Genesis 25:29–34). Isaac appears to be trying to pass on the blessing to Esau without either Rebekah or Jacob finding out first—perhaps partly because he knows about Esau’s foolish oath. Clued in to Isaac’s plan, Rebekah and Jacob will launch into a scheme of their own.

Verse 6. Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau,

Rebekah has overheard Isaac’s plan to give his blessing to his firstborn son Esau (Genesis 27:1–4). It will include the promise that the blessed son will be lord over his brothers (Genesis 27:29). This not only conflicts with Esau’s earlier sale of his birthright (Genesis 25:29–34), it conflicts with a prophecy Rebekah received from the Lord when she was pregnant with the twins. God had told her clearly that the older one would serve the younger (Genesis 25:23), not the other way around. Since Rebekah blatantly prefers Jacob (Genesis 25:28), she immediately begins a plan to subvert her husband’s agenda.

Rebekah immediately calls Jacob. She will do whatever she can to ensure that Jacob receives the blessing, whether Isaac likes it or not. This is not the first time someone in Genesis has attempted to “help” God by scheming to force His will, as they saw it (Genesis 16:1–5). Unfortunately, this will once again result in hurt feelings and a split family (Genesis 21:9–11).

Verse 7. ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’

Rebekah is telling Jacob what she overheard Isaac saying to his older brother Esau. Isaac told Esau to hunt game and to prepare for him a delicious meal. Isaac’s plan was to bless Esau before he died (Genesis 27:1–4). This is the kind of announcement one would normally expect to happen in front of the entire family. This family, however, suffers from extreme favoritism (Genesis 25:28). And Esau, at some point in the past, had sold his rights as firstborn to his younger twin brother, Jacob (Genesis 25:29–34). Isaac is probably attempting to grant this blessing in private to avoid the complications of those very issues.

Rebekah, however, knows that God has promised that Jacob, not Esau, will be the dominant brother (Genesis 25:23). Instead of trusting in God, and allowing Him to work, Rebekah will make an all-too-common mistake. She will try to “help” God achieve the end result she believes ought to occur. Rebekah is about to enlist Jacob in a scheme to secure the blessing for himself before Esau can receive it.

Verse 8. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you.

Isaac is attempting to grant the family blessing to his firstborn twin son, Esau. Even though Esau foolishly sold his rights as firstborn (Genesis 25:29–34), Isaac strongly favors him (Genesis 25:28). Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, prefers the younger twin, Jacob. She also knows that God has promised that Jacob, not Esau, will become the dominant brother (Genesis 25:23). Recently, Rebekah has revealed to Jacob what she’s overheard: that Esau is about to receive the family blessing from his father Isaac (Genesis 27:1–5).

Now Rebekah plays the “mom card.” She leverages her authority in Jacob’s life as the reason Jacob should do exactly as she says. She insists that he must obey her, hoping to get Jacob to act quickly and to overcome any objections. As it turns out, Jacob’s concerns will have more to do with possible consequences than whether or not her plan to deceive his father and betray his brother is a moral option (Genesis 27:12).

Verse 9. Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.

Rebekah has overheard Isaac’s plan to pass the family blessing down to Esau (Genesis 27:1–4). First, though, Isaac wants Esau to hunt fresh game for him, and to prepare a delicious meal. This hunting skill is the reason Isaac preferred his older twin son (Genesis 25:28). Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, prefers the younger twin, Jacob. She also knows that God has promised to make the younger son dominant (Genesis 25:23). Convinced that Jacob is the one who should receive the blessing, she is putting into motion a plan to deceive Isaac into blessing Jacob instead.

The scheme begins with creating the meal Isaac expects to receive from Esau. To that end, Rebekah instructs Jacob to bring two young goats from the herd so she can make a meal she knows Isaac will love. She apparently plans to duplicate the taste of wild game by using these goats.

Earlier in Genesis, Isaac’s parents attempted to “help” God fulfill a promise (Genesis 16:1–5). This, in a sense, is what Rebekah is doing now. That earlier attempt resulted in hurt feelings and a split family (Genesis 21:9–11). The scheme Jacob and Rebekah are about to enact will also cause a terrible rift (Genesis 27:41).

Verse 10. And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”

Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, has overheard his plan to bless their firstborn son, Esau (Genesis 27:1–6). However, Rebekah greatly prefers the younger of the twin boys, Jacob (Genesis 25:28). Isaac might have been trying to avoid this very situation by speaking to Esau alone, rather than stating his blessing in front of the entire family. Rebekah knows that God has predicted that Jacob, not Esau, will be superior (Genesis 25:23). In an effort to “help” God’s plans along, and to aid her favored son, she hatches a deceptive plot (Genesis 27:7–9).

Here, Rebekah concludes describing to Jacob her plan for him to receive the family blessing from Isaac instead of Esau. This relies heavily on Isaac’s age-induced blindness. Before Esau can return with freshly hunted game and prepare it as a delicious meal, she will prepare a meal herself. Then Jacob can take it to his father and receive the blessing instead.

Jacob will raise very reasonable objections to his mother’s plan in the following verses. Readers should note that his concerns are about being caught—not whether or not this is a moral plan (Genesis 27:12).

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

Isaac has attempted to pass along his blessing to Esau, the oldest of his twin sons. Instead of giving this blessing in front of the entire family, he speaks with Esau alone, or at least tries to. This reflects the family’s extreme favoritism, where Isaac preferred Esau and his wife, Rebekah, preferred the second twin, Jacob (Genesis 25:28). It might also suggest that Isaac knows Esau sold his birthright to Jacob (Genesis 25:29–34), making this an attempt to escape that mistake. In any case, Rebekah overhears and recruits Jacob to participate in a scheme that will trick her husband Isaac into giving the family blessing to Jacob instead of his brother Esau. Before Esau can hunt game and prepare a requested meal for his father, she will make a similar meal and Jacob will take it to Isaac and get the blessing (Genesis 27:1–10).

Now Jacob objects—but not to express a moral or ethical concern with his mother’s plan. Instead, he raises a practical concern. He’s not a hairy guy. Esau is (Genesis 25:25). It’s likely that Isaac will notice this, and what will happen when he catches on? The following verse will reveal that Jacob is deeply worried about the consequences of getting caught trying to fool his father.

Verse 12. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.”

Rebekah has a plan to trick her husband Isaac into giving the family blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. She has overheard Isaac’s plans with Esau (Genesis 27:6–8), and has enlisted Jacob to help her in a scheme. She will prepare a meal for Isaac before Esau can return and do the same. Jacob will take that meal into Isaac and receive the blessing (Genesis 27:9–10). This not only reflects the family’s ongoing problem with favoritism (Genesis 25:28), it’s an example of Rebekah trying to “help” God by forcing his prophecies to come true, as she sees fit (Genesis 25:23).

Now Jacob protests. He’s not a hairy man like Esau. What if he gets caught? What if Isaac decides he is mocking the old man and gives him a curse instead of a blessing? Notice, Jacob is not concerned about replicating Esau’s appearance. Isaac is nearly or completely blind (Genesis 27:1). He also does not express any worry about the difference in his voice, something that will very nearly ruin the whole scheme (Genesis 27:22). Most importantly, though, he is not—it seems—the slightest concerned about the morality of what he’s about to do. He just doesn’t want to be caught and punished.

Verse 13. His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

Jacob has raised a very real concern with his mother, about her scheme to trick Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing instead of Esau (Genesis 27:6–10). What if Isaac catches him in the act? Won’t it be worse than if he did nothing at all? Won’t he end up being cursed instead of blessed? This moment does not reflect well on Jacob; he’s entirely on board with the idea of using deception (Genesis 25:29–34), and is only really concerned about being caught.

Rebekah doesn’t have time for Jacob’s objections, however. If the plan is going to work, she has to get started on the meal right away. She insists that she will take any curse Isaac might give instead to Jacob. Then she commands her son to obey his mother.

On one hand, Rebekah is fighting for the son she loves, though in practice she practices blatant favoritism (Genesis 25:28). She also probably sees her actions as working toward the fulfillment of the prophecy given to her by the Lord when she was pregnant with the boys. At that time, God said the older one would serve the younger (Genesis 25:23). She may have told herself she was scheming for the will of the Lord: “helping” God obtain His will.

On the other hand, she is pushing her son to deceive and dishonor his father. Rebekah is encouraging her son to lie, and to betray his brother. And she is using her parental authority to manipulate him to do so. Nobody in this story is fully innocent. Rebekah will pay a steep price for her sin, as it turns out. When the dust settles, her son Jacob will have fled, returning only after her death (Genesis 27:43–44).

Verse 14. So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved.

Jacob makes a conscious choice to go along with his mother’s scheme (Genesis 27:6–10). Her plot is to deceive his father, Isaac, into giving him the blessing instead of his older brother, Esau. This follows Jacob’s manipulative trick where he made Esau swear to give him Esau’s birthright (Genesis 25:29–34). Jacob makes no protest about whether or not this is the right course of action. His only question for Rebekah is about what happens if they are caught (Genesis 27:12). At her insistence, he does as she says, bringing the goats to his mother. She prepares a delicious meal that she knows her husband will love. The plan is afoot.

Genesis never directly condemns or praises Jacob for this decision. Does this mean he was right to participate in this plan? No, but Scripture simply records what happened. God used the flawed choices of flawed human beings to accomplish His will for His people. He still does. Later in the book of Genesis, we will see the consequences of this action play out. Rebekah will never see Jacob again (Genesis 27:43–44), and Jacob will find himself caught in a scam in the near future (Genesis 29).

Verse 15. Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

Isaac is attempting to pass his blessing on to Esau, his firstborn twin son. Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, overheard this plan (Genesis 27:6–10) and schemed with Jacob, the younger twin she preferred (Genesis 25:28). This plot relies heavily on Isaac’s blindness (Genesis 27:1). Jacob makes no effort to resist, only asking how to avoid being caught (Genesis 27:12).

Here, Rebekah’s scheme to trick her husband Isaac into giving the family blessing to Jacob instead of Esau has reached its critical moments. She has prepared the delicious meal, and Esau has not yet returned. All that remains now is to disguise Jacob, making a convincing enough version of Esau to deceive his blind father long enough to get the blessing from him.

This starts with the clothes, and Rebekah has access to Esau’s best garments. She puts Jacob into them. Though Isaac is blind, the real purpose of this deception is the difference in their smell. Beyond that, though, Jacob is still smooth-skinned, while Esau is famously fairy (Genesis 25:25). Rebekah will have an answer for that in the following verse.

Verse 16. And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

Rebekah has prepared a version of the meal Esau is supposed to deliver to his father before receiving the blessing (Genesis 27:1–5). Her intent is for Jacob to sneak in, pretend to be Esau, and steal that blessing from his older brother (Genesis 27:6–10). After encouraging Jacob to participate in the lie, and preparing the food, she needs to disguise Jacob well enough to fool blind Isaac. This began, in the previous verse, with dressing Jacob in Esau’s best clothes; this would make him smell like Esau to Isaac (Genesis 27:11–15). However, Esau is known for being hairy, and Jacob is not (Genesis 25:25), so more deception is in order.

Now she takes some of the hairy skin from the goats she just used to make the meal, and she adheres them in some way to Jacob’s smooth arms and neck. If Isaac would happen to touch Jacob in any of those places, he will feel short, rough hair, instead of smoothness.

Verse 17. And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

This is the moment of truth for Rebekah’s plan to trick Isaac into giving the family blessing to Jacob instead of Esau (Genesis 27:6–10). Rebekah greatly favors her younger son over his older brother (Genesis 25:28), and knows that God has prophesied that Jacob will be the dominant one (Genesis 25:23). Instead of trusting God, Rebekah and Jacob are “helping” God by scheming to make their own version of His promises come true.

So, while Esau is still away hunting for or preparing the delicious meal his father has requested (Genesis 27:2–4), they made their move. Rebekah’s substitute version of that meal is ready to go. The plot hinges on Isaac’s blindness (Genesis 27:1). Rebekah has dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothes, to make him smell like his older brother. She has covered his smooth arms and neck with hairy goat’s skin to make him feel like hairy Esau.

All that is left is to send Jacob in and see if it works. Will Isaac believe that Jacob is Esau long enough to give him the blessing?

Verse 18. So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

If we didn’t know how high the stakes are for Jacob, Esau, and the future of Israel, this scene would feel like something out of a fictional comedy. Rebekah and Jacob are attempting to con Isaac into giving “the blessing” to Jacob instead of Esau (Genesis 27:5–10). To pull it off, they need old, blind Isaac to believe that he’s talking to Esau and not Jacob (Genesis 27:1–6). In order to make this happen, Jacob is dressed in Esau’s clothes, to mimic his scent (Genesis 27:15). He’s wearing goat skins on his arms and neck so that he’ll feel rough and hairy, like his brother (Genesis 27:16). He’s bringing the food his father specifically asked for (Genesis 27:9).

And yet, right from the start, it looks like the whole scheme is going to fall apart. Isaac may be old and blind, but he’s not deaf. Jacob comes before his father carrying the delicious meal, supposedly meat freshly killed and prepared by Jacob’s hairy, outdoorsman of a brother, Esau. Jacob begins, perhaps too timidly, by saying, “My father.” Isaac immediately asks who is speaking. He is expecting Esau, but he hears something not right in the voice, and it’s too soon for Esau to have returned. Now Jacob will need to lie outright or abandon the plan…so he lies.

This moment inspires two future incidents in Jacob’s life. Through God’s intervention, Jacob will suffer under a bait-and-switch scam (Genesis 29). And, he will be forced to identify himself, honestly, before being blessed in a later event (Genesis 32:26–28).

Verse 19. Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”

Old, blind, and near the end of his life, Isaac is planning to pass on the family blessing to the firstborn of his twin sons, Esau (Genesis 27:1–5). Isaac has sent Esau out to kill and prepare fresh game for him to eat before he bestows the gift. Rebekah, Isaac’s wife and Esau’s mother, has overheard this arrangement (Genesis 27:6–10). The two parents make no secret of their favoritism (Genesis 25:28). In fact, this imbalance was probably Isaac’s motivation for attempting to bless Esau in private, as well as what motivated Rebekah to hatch her plot. Since she favors her younger son, Jacob, Rebekah pulls him into a conspiracy.

Now, with his mother’s help—and insistence—Jacob is attempting to deceive his father, Isaac, by pretending to be his older twin brother, Esau. After being asked directly who he is (Genesis 27:18), Jacob now begins to lie in earnest. He says emphatically that he is Esau, adding that he is the firstborn, as if his father would not have known that. Jacob also rushes to close the deal, perhaps worried the Esau may return at any time. He asks Isaac to quickly eat the meal and bless him.

More specifically, Jacob says he is ready for Isaac’s soul to bless him. The passing on of the family blessing will be an act of Isaac’s will, a gift from his soul to his son and the generations who will follow.

Verse 20. But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.”

Lies tend to lead to more and deeper lies. Jacob has lied by claiming, to his blind, elderly father, Isaac, that he was actually the older son, Esau (Genesis 27:1–5). Wearing his brother’s clothes and with his skin disguised, Jacob—at the urging of his mother, Rebekah—insists that he is ready to receive the blessing intended for his brother (Genesis 27:6–17). Before this can happen, however, Jacob must build on his lie. Isaac already seems suspicious (Genesis 27:18). For one thing, “Esau” has returned too quickly. Not enough time had passed to hunt the game, make the kill, prepare the meat, and return, as Isaac had instructed.

Caught, Jacob spiritualizes his lie, claiming that God provided an animal in record time. It’s always hard to argue with an assertion that God provided. It makes for effective deception, but it takes lying to the level of manipulating the name and reputation of God for personal gain. Some Bible teachers suggest that Jacob took God’s name in vain, something that would later be forbidden by the Ten Commandments.

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

When Rebekah first proposed her plan for Jacob to steal Esau’s blessing (Genesis 27:6–10), Jacob was mostly worried about being caught and cursed (Genesis 27:12). In the previous verses, Jacob has lied outright to Isaac, insisting that he is, in fact, Esau, come to receive the blessing (Genesis 27:18–19). Isaac, though blind (Genesis 27:1), is asking reasonable questions. He wonders how Esau could have returned so quickly with food, and for “Esau,” really a disguised Jacob, to come closer. One can only imagine Jacob’s heart beating hard as he tried, at the urging of his mother, to deceive his elderly father into giving him the family blessing.

Perhaps unconvinced by Jacob’s claim that God gave him record-breaking success, Isaac now asks to feel Jacob so that he can know for sure this is Esau. After all, Esau was famous for his hairiness (Genesis 25:25). Jacob was smooth. One touch would reveal all. Fortunately for Jacob, Rebekah had anticipated this moment. She put the skin of the goats she had used to prepare the meal on Jacob’s arms and neck (Genesis 27:16). Would the goat hair now be convincing enough to fool Isaac into thinking he was touching Esau?

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

Jacob is attempting to impersonate his older twin brother, Esau, by wearing his clothes and putting hairy goat skins on his arms and neck (Genesis 27:6–17). The target of this fraud is his own father, an elderly and blind Isaac (Genesis 27:1–5). While his father might be ailing, he is not entirely senseless: Isaac is clearly aware that something is not right with this version of “Esau” standing before him. It’s too soon for Esau to have returned (Genesis 27:18–20), and the voice is wrong. It’s plainly Jacob’s voice. So, Isaac asks this person to approach so he can feel his skin. Perhaps Isaac thought he would find Jacob’s smooth hands attached to the voice.

Instead, Isaac finds hairy hands, like those of Esau, thanks to Jacob’s mother cleverly applying the goat’s skin. Old, blind and fearing he was near death, Isaac was probably confused. Maybe this really was his firstborn Esau to whom he intended to give the blessing.

Verse 23. And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau ‘s hands. So he blessed him.

Jacob is the younger, quieter, smooth-skinned twin brother of Esau (Genesis 25:24–28). His mother, Rebekah, overheard their father, Isaac, planning to give his blessing to Esau. Since she greatly preferred Jacob, she concocts a plot to fool the ailing and blinded man so that he’ll bless Jacob, instead (Genesis 27:1–6). Using Esau’s clothes and wearing goat skin to disguise his own, Jacob has also lied about who he is (Genesis 27:18–19). In response, Isaac has asked to touch the person standing in front of him (Genesis 27:21). Isaac, old and sightless, may have thought that feeling his son’s hand would tell him definitively whether this was truly Esau or Jacob, as his voice suggested. Feeling the hairy skin provided by Jacob’s mother, Isaac appears to be convinced that this is actually Esau (Genesis 27:22).

When we’re told that Isaac blessed Jacob, this verse is looking forward to the full blessing given in Genesis 27:27. What follows this verse is a fuller description of the process Isaac used to pass along the blessing.

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

Jacob is trying to fool his father by impersonating Esau, his older brother. The reason for this fraud is to have Isaac grant his fatherly blessing to Jacob instead. The plan is actually a conspiracy between Jacob and his mother, Rebekah, who has supplied him with the food Isaac requested from Esau, Esau’s clothes, and goat skins to mimic Esau’s hairiness (Genesis 27:1–10). Even after feeling Jacob’s goat-skin covered hands, Isaac, old and blind, still seems unconvinced and confused. He is ready to believe that Esau is before him with a meal of freshly killed and prepared game. He is ready to give Esau the blessing. He seems to sense something is still off though.

Finally, he just asks Jacob outright, “Are you really my son Esau?” Now Jacob commits to the lie fully: “I am.” His attempt to deceive his father in order to steal the family blessing from his firstborn brother is complete. The following verse will show that Isaac decided to believe him. He is ready to eat the meal and give the blessing.

God is not without a sense of humor. Not long after this incident, Jacob will find out what it feels like to be cheated (Genesis 29). After that, God will pointedly force Jacob to identify himself before he can be blessed (Genesis 32:26–28).

Verse 25. Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son ‘s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

Isaac has attempted to privately pass along his fatherly blessing to Esau, the oldest of his twin sons. He requested Esau to bring him his favorite food, so that he could bestow this gift (Genesis 27:1–5). However, Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, overheard the plan and conspired with her favorite of the twins, Jacob, to steal the blessing (Genesis 27:6–10). This elaborate scam involved disguising Jacob so that the elderly, blind Isaac would think he was speaking to the other brother (Genesis 27:11–17).

Though Isaac never seems fully convinced that the son in front of him is Esau (Genesis 27:21–23), he finally decides to eat the meal brought for him. For Isaac, eating this meal and giving the blessing are linked. Together, they are part of a meaningful ceremony. Isaac requests that his son’s game be brought to him, still suggesting that he may suspect he is not speaking to the right son.

Still, Isaac eats and drinks what Jacob gives to him. The blessing will follow.

Verse 26. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.”

Jacob is in the middle of a daring, dangerous act of fraud. He has conspired with his mother to impersonate his older twin brother, Esau, so he can obtain his father’s blessing. Though Isaac is old and blind, he is suspicious when Jacob arrives to begin the scam (Genesis 27:18–23). However, Jacob is wearing Esau’s clothes, has his skin disguised as Esau’s skin, and carries the food Isaac had asked for (Genesis 27:11–17). So, despite lingering doubts, Isaac continues to bestow his blessing.

This kiss would be part of the formal ceremony of Isaac conferring the family blessing to Jacob—though his original intent was for this to pass to Esau. It’s also possible that that kiss represented a kind of farewell between a son and his aging father. Coming close enough to kiss Isaac also posed another risk of discovery for Jacob. He would be close enough to touch and, more importantly, to smell. Again, Jacob’s mother had thought of how to protect him from this (Genesis 27:15).

Verse 27. So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my sonis as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!

Jacob is disguised as his older twin brother, Esau, in a plot to steal a blessing from his father, Isaac (Genesis 27:6–10). Isaac’s blindness and age make this possible, but not easy, so Jacob and his mother Rebekah conspire to fool Isaac (Genesis 27:1). To this point, it seems to have worked, though Isaac seems to have some lingering suspicions (Genesis 27:22).

As Jacob comes near and kisses Isaac, the old man receives more confirmation that this must be Esau. His clothes carry the smell of the outdoors, of a field that the Lord has blessed. Esau loved to hunt and spend time in the fields, one of the things Isaac loved about his firstborn son (Genesis 25:28). Of course, this is part of the deception. Jacob’s mother Rebekah had dressed him in Esau’s clothes to make Jacob as convincing as possible to his blind father (Genesis 27:15). This particular trick works so well that Isaac immediately begins to confer the blessing on Jacob.

This specific part of Scripture does not indicate exactly what this blessing entails. It seems different from the covenant promises of God to Abraham and Isaac. Isaac will pass on that blessing to Jacob, in more precise words later on. At that point, he will have full knowledge, of the son to whom he is speaking. This blessing is more likely the customary blessing handed down from the father to his children in this era.

Since this boon comes from Isaac, however, as the patriarch of the chosen family of God at this point, this blessing will be more than the good wishes of a father. It will carry the weight of certainty. What Isaac prays in this blessing will absolutely come to pass in one form or another.

Verse 28.May God give you of the dew of heavenand of the fatness of the earthand plenty of grain and wine.

Isaac is conferring his official blessing, the family blessing, to Jacob (Genesis 27:1–5). He had intended to give this blessing to Esau, of course (Genesis 25:28), but Rebekah and Jacob have successfully deceived Isaac into thinking he is doing just that (Genesis 27:6–10).

This raises a question. Is a blessing like this something that can be mistakenly passed on from a father to the wrong son? Are the words of the blessing magic that can be pronounced only once and then are spent? Can the God who will fulfill this blessing be so easily manipulated?

The answer, of course, is no. As has already been demonstrated, the gist of this on Jacob is what God had planned all along. The oracle God gave to Rebekah prior to the birth of her sons stated clearly that the older, Esau, would serve the younger, Jacob (Genesis 25:23). Rebekah had held on to that revelation all along. Isaac, apparently, had not agreed to it. Thus, Rebekah has deceived him into doing what God had said would happen in the first place. This is not a good choice on her part, however—the fallout from this act of fraud will mean never seeing Jacob again (Genesis 27:43–44).

Here Isaac, as the patriarch of the family who holds the covenant with God, prays for Jacob to be blessed with wealth in the form of the dew of heaven, meaning moisture for crops, the fat of the land, and plentiful grain and wine.

Verse 29. Let peoples serve you,and nations bow down to you.Be lord over your brothers,and may your mother ‘s sons bow down to you.Cursed be everyone who curses you,and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

The scam concocted by Rebekah and Jacob, to steal Esau’s blessing from Isaac, is successful (Genesis 27:6–10). Isaac completes his inadvertent blessing of Jacob with this verse. The blessing intended for Esau began in the previous verse with a prayer and/or prediction of God’s gifts of material wealth. This verse refers to political power and influence over other peoples and nations, but also over brothers who would bow to the receiver of these words.

Isaac believes the irrevocable blessing which he is praying is being spoken to Esau. Instead, it will be the younger twin, Jacob, and his offspring who will become lord over all. This is just as God’s oracle to Rebekah predicted for her twin sons (Genesis 25:23).

Finally, Isaac concludes his prayer of blessing with one of God’s earliest promises to Abraham, now passed on to Jacob: Those who blessed or cursed Jacob and his offspring would receive the same in return.

As the following passage will show, however, this fraud did not come without a price. Esau’s rage will become murderous (Genesis 27:41), causing Jacob to flee from his family (Genesis 27:43–44), never to see his mother again (Genesis 35:27; 49:31). Also, God will give Jacob a taste of his own medicine later in life, both as the victim of fraud (Genesis 29) and by forcing him to be honest about his name in order to obtain a blessing (Genesis 32:26–28).

Verse 30. As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

Jacob, with the help and insistence of his mother Rebekah, has pulled off an unlikely deception. It’s true that Jacob’s father was old and blind, but to trick him into giving what was apparently an irrevocable family blessing was quite an accomplishment (Genesis 27:6–17).

One thing that almost kept Isaac from believing that Jacob was Esau was that he was there too quickly. It seemed unlikely that Esau could have killed and prepared his game so soon after being sent out by his father. Jacob’s answer was that God’s blessing made it possible. In truth, Jacob arrived early because he had to deliver his meal to Isaac and receive the blessing before Esau returned, just as his father had requested (Genesis 27:1–5).

Now we see just how close the whole plan was to blowing up. Jacob had scarcely left Isaac’s presence, blessing in hand, when Esau entered with his own meal for Isaac. Now the scam will be revealed, too late, but with consequences all the same.

Context Summary
Genesis 27:30–46 describes the aftermath of Jacob’s deception of Isaac in order to receive the family blessing. Once Esau arrives and Isaac realizes he has given the blessing to the wrong son, his body begins to tremble in panic. Esau, deeply distraught, cries out in loud and bitter agony. Isaac gives to Esau a leftover blessing that reads like a curse. Esau pledges to kill Jacob once their father has died. Learning of this, Rebekah urges Jacob to run away to live with her brother in Mesopotamia.

Verse 31. He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son ‘s game, that you may bless me.”

Isaac had sent Esau out to hunt and prepare a meal of fresh game, with the understanding that Esau would receive the blessing when he got back (Genesis 27:1–5). As he arrives, dutifully following his father’s wishes, Esau does not yet know that Jacob has stolen the family blessing from him with an elaborate deception of their father (Genesis 27:6–10). This was a plot hatched by their mother, Rebekah, who favored Jacob (Genesis 25:28). Her plan involved disguising Jacob with Esau’s clothes (Genesis 27:15), goat skins to mimic Esau’s hairiness (Genesis 27:16), and goat meat to replicate the taste of wild game (Genesis 27:17).

Now Esau is back, meal in hand, and says very similar words to Isaac that Jacob did not long before: Arise. Eat. Bless me. One can only imagine the rude awakening both Isaac and Esau experienced in the next few moments, as it becomes clear what has happened. As one would expect, the reactions of these men are charged and dramatic.

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

Jacob has just successfully scammed his father, by impersonating Esau, his older brother (Genesis 27:19–30). The purpose of this was to obtain the family blessing which Isaac meant to give Esau (Genesis 27:2–5). The plot went so far as to use Esau’s clothes (Genesis 27:15), goat skins (Genesis 27:16), and food meant to mimic Isaac’s favorite meal (Genesis 27:17). The basis for this entire incident is the fact that Isaac is old and blind (Genesis 27:1).

When Esau returns, having done exactly as Isaac asked him, he is met with a rude awakening. Isaac, old and blind, does not recognize Esau, just as he did not recognize Jacob dressed as Esau (Genesis 27:18). The old man is forced to ask, once again, who is standing before him. He gets the same answer: I am your firstborn son Esau.

Suddenly, the deception is revealed. The suspicions Isaac had when Jacob was there are confirmed, and he realizes that he’s been played for a fool. He reacts forcefully, as one would expect.

Verse 33. Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”

Moments before Esau arrived, Isaac had finished giving his fatherly blessing. This, apparently, was a one-time, irrevocable prayer for success and prosperity. What Isaac did not know was that the son he blessed was not Esau, who he’d sent out for a meal of wild game (Genesis 27:2–5). Instead, it was a cleverly-disguised Jacob, preying on Isaac’s age and blindness (Genesis 27:1). Isaac had been suspicious, at first, but the elaborate scheme concocted by Jacob and Rebekah had been enough to fool him (Genesis 27:10–30).

This time, Isaac has no doubt that the man standing before him is Esau. He begins to panic. He trembles very violently. The text is clear that Isaac is so upset his whole body starts shaking. He asks the obvious question: If you’re Esau, who came just before you and left with the blessing?

The verse concludes with a statement of great faith on Isaac’s part, though he is so deeply troubled. Isaac believes that God will still honor the prayer of blessing, no matter that it was delivered to the wrong man under an elaborate deception. This, of course, follows the prophecy given to Rebekah prior to the birth of these twins (Genesis 25:28). Jacob will, in the end, be blessed more than Esau. As Esau will now learn, the transaction was final.

Verse 34. As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”

Esau has just learned that someone else has been given the family blessing Isaac had intended to give to him (Genesis 27:32–33). Old and blind (Genesis 27:1), Isaac has been fooled by an elaborate disguise cooked up by his wife, Rebekah, and their second-born twin son, Jacob (Genesis 27:6–10). When Esau returned with the food his father had requested, mere moments after Jacob had left, the deception was revealed. Isaac reacted with trembling, his whole body shaking from the emotion of realizing he had been deceived.

Esau’s response is a yell, a scream, a loud bitter cry. It’s the sound of a man who realizes in a moment that he may have lost the most valuable thing in his life. This is a drastic difference from his earlier attitude towards his firstborn birthright—at one point, he had recklessly sworn to sell it to Jacob (Genesis 25:29–34).

Now that there are real consequences at hand, Esau quickly offers a desperate solution: Bless me too! Isaac will explain in the following verses that it doesn’t work that way.

Verse 35. But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”

In a terrible moment that left old Isaac visibly shaken and Esau crying out bitterly, it has become clear that someone has stolen Esau’s blessing. Esau has asked desperately—but futilely—that his father bless him, as well. Earlier, Esau had been so careless about his firstborn status that he’d made an oath to sell his birthright to his younger twin brother, Jacob (Genesis 25:29–34). Now, when he realizes that he truly has lost something valuable, he responds with what starts and panic, but soon turns into murderous rage (Genesis 27:41).

Now Isaac makes it clear: He knows who stole the blessing. It was Jacob. He came in deception and tricked Isaac into giving the blessing to him (Genesis 27:15–17). Whether Isaac knows, yet, that Rebekah was involved in this elaborate scheme, we don’t know, but it’s safe to say he will find out, eventually. For now, though, Isaac has to tell Esau that even though he doesn’t like what Jacob has done, the transaction is completed. It cannot be reversed.

Verse 36. Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

Though Bible scholars are not clear about the definition from the language itself, the name “Jacob”—Ya’aqob in Hebrew—implies a “heel grabber,” or “usurper,” or “one who cheats.” This was a name given to Jacob as a result of his unusual birth: holding the heel of his older brother (Genesis 25:25–26) after a contentious pregnancy (Genesis 25:22). Esau, in his bitter disappointment about losing the blessing, describes his brother’s name as appropriate to his actions. Jacob—”the one who cheats”—really is a liar and a cheat!

As evidence, Esau points back to the moment when Jacob purchased Esau’s birthright for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29–34). While it’s true that Jacob took advantage of Esau’s foolish disregard for his birthright, it seems as stretch to say that Jacob cheated Esau in that instance. He was manipulative, but Esau knew exactly what was happening. In stealing the blessing, however, there’s no doubt Jacob used lies to take what Isaac did not intend to give to him.

What’s the difference between a birthright and a blessing? The birthright belonged, by default, to the oldest son. He would inherit a double portion of the family estate. Esau had sold this right to Jacob. The blessing, on the other hand, apparently could be given to any of the children as the father saw fit. In Isaac’s case, he had clearly planned to give the greater blessing to Esau, including future rule over his brother.

The giving of that blessing was seen as so tangible that even though it was received as part of a deception, the giving of the blessing remained intact. In Isaac’s eyes, the transaction was completed. It was, however, not unusual for a father to give some kind of a blessing to any or all of his children. Esau now asks Isaac if there is not blessing “left over” that he can confer to Esau.

Verse 37. Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?”

Esau is distraught at learning that his younger twin brother, Jacob, has stolen his blessing. Isaac, their father, intended to give this gift to Esau (Genesis 27:1–6). His wife, Rebekah, plotted an elaborate disguise for her favored son, Jacob (Genesis 27:15–17), which fooled the elderly, blind father into bestowing it on the wrong person (Genesis 27:33–34).

In the previous verse, Esau asked Isaac if he had not reserved some blessing for him. It was not uncommon for a father, near death, to confer a blessing on more than one of his children, dividing his well wishes or predictions for their future. In Isaac’s case, however, he had planned to give to Esau all the blessing he had to give. In truth, Isaac had not reserved a blessing for Jacob. He loved Esau so much more that He had intended all of the family blessing to go to him (Genesis 25:28). God, however, had planned all along for Jacob to rule over his brother (Genesis 25:23). It was not merely Jacob and Rebekah who had thwarted Isaac’s plan. Beyond the question of this particular blessing, God Himself had already planned to make Jacob the heir of His promises.

Now Isaac reveals to Esau exactly how he has blessed Jacob. His words reveal how powerful Isaac believes this blessing to be. With a few words of prayer, Isaac says that he has made Jacob lord over Esau and all his brothers and that he has sustained him with grain and wine. Of course, Isaac’s prayer made clear it was God who would do these things in Jacob’s life.

Given that context, what meaningful blessing could be left to give to Esau?

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

Esau is clearly despondent. He is crying loudly before his old, blind father Isaac, who has been tricked into giving his blessing to the younger twin, Jacob (Genesis 27:30–33). As Esau points out, this fits with Jacob’s name. In Hebrew, Ya’aqob means “one who cheats,” or “usurper,” from a phrase which literally means “heel-grabber” (Genesis 25:25–26). Even though Isaac has already said that he has blessed Jacob by making him lord over his brothers and giving him wealth in grain and wine, Esau repeats his desperate request to be blessed in any way, at all. Besides losing his birthright in a moment of recklessness (Genesis 25:29–34), he is now left cheated of his father’s final gift.

Isaac’s proclamation in the following verses will offer little comfort. In his (literally) blind favoritism (Genesis 25:28), Isaac has given every ounce of blessing he can bestow on the person he thought was Esau (Genesis 27:27–29). That gift cannot be taken back, and there is really nothing left for Isaac to give. All he has left is a stark prediction.

Verse 39. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be,and away from the dew of heaven on high.

Esau, crying in despair, has asked Isaac to bless him in any way possible, in spite of the fact that nearly all of the blessing has been given to Jacob (Genesis 27:27–29). Now Isaac responds, but it doesn’t sound like a blessing.

Isaac had blessed Jacob with the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth, perhaps referring to the successful growing of well-watered crops and successful herds of animals. Now he confers on Esau what appears to be the exact opposite of this. He tells Esau that his dwelling will be away from the fatness of the earth and the dew of heaven. Perhaps this describes the nomadic life of a wandering tribe.

Eventually, Esau’s descendants will become the nation known as Edom. These Edomites will live in the mountainous land of Seir, and bitterly conflict with the nation of Israel, which will descend from Jacob. The book of Obadiah predicts the eventual ruin of the Edomite people.

Verse 40. By your sword you shall live,and you shall serve your brother;but when you grow restlessyou shall break his yoke from your neck.”

In the previous verse, Isaac began a response to Esau’s request for a blessing. Only, it doesn’t sound like a blessing. Isaac’s original intent was to bless his older son, Esau, but the plan was overheard by the boy’s mother, Rebekah (Genesis 27:1–6). She and Jacob pulled off a scam to impersonate Esau, fooling the elderly and blind Isaac into blessing the wrong son (Genesis 27:5–7). Both mother and father are motivated by blatant favoritism (Genesis 25:28). In Isaac’s case, this meant that his blessing bestowed almost total dominance and success of one son over the other (Genesis 27:27–29). While Esau hopes to gain something—anything—from his father, Isaac has left nothing positive to grant now that he has been fooled.

Instead, Isaac has described the life of a nomad wandering the desolate places of the earth away from the dew of heaven and the fat of the land. Isaac continues here by predicting that Esau will live by the sword and serve his brother. One day, though, he will grow restless and break free of Jacob’s rule.

The offspring of Jacob and Esau will clearly fulfill these prophesies. Esau’s descendants became the Edomites, a violent and warring people who did in fact serve Israel under David’s rule only to break free and take their revenge (2 Kings 8:20–22). The eventual doom of these people is predicted in the brief book of Obadiah.

Verse 41. Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

Esau’s despair over losing Isaac’s blessing to Jacob (Genesis 27:30–35) quickly turns to a calculating and murderous rage. Whatever angst or rivalry Esau felt for his younger twin brother is amplified beyond words. If he did not hate Jacob before, he certainly hates him now. Interestingly, even that rage is constrained by that era’s sense of respect. Probably out of honor for his father, Esau plans kill Jacob only after Isaac died and the period of mourning was over. Then again, Esau might have simply wanted to be sure he was not completely disinherited by Isaac.

Of course, killing one’s brother was no small matter in this era, or any other. In a sense, Esau had already been destined by his father’s “blessing” to live the life of Cain as a wandering nomad (Genesis 4:11–12). Now he planned to commit the sin of Cain (Genesis 4:3–8). Later generations would reflect the heat of this anger. Israel and Edom, the nations descended from Jacob and Esau, would be hated enemies. The book of Obadiah describes the eventual doom of Edom.

Verse 42. But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So 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.

Esau was actively planning to murder Jacob after Isaac died. His anger is understandable. Using an elaborate deception in which he pretended to be Esau (Genesis 27:15–17), Jacob had tricked their father into giving him the blessing intended for Esau (Genesis 27:1–5; 27:30–35). This gift was not simply well wishes from dad to son. It was the formal conferring of the blessing of God, for wealth and political rule to one son and not the other. The blessing seems to have been irrevocable and possibly even prophetic (Genesis 27:37).It’s not surprising that Jacob’s action would threaten his relationship with Esau.

Still, to murder one’s brother was no small crime. Fortunately for the intended victim, Esau, he did not keep his plan to himself. He told someone what he planned to do, and the word got back to their mother Rebekah. She, of course, was the one who hatched the plot to deceive Isaac in the first place (Genesis 27:6–10). She immediately tells Jacob about Esau’s plan. Interestingly, Rebekah doesn’t mention that Esau plans to wait to kill Jacob. Either she didn’t know that, or she is afraid that Esau won’t be able to hold himself back for long. In either case, the following verse will make clear that she wants Jacob to get out of town right away.

Her description of Esau’s heart is interesting. It’s a human experience to comfort oneself with a plan to take revenge on those who have hurt us. It’s a false comfort that allows us to go about our daily activities until the moment comes when we can act. In that sense, her assessment of Esau’s plan is sensible. Then again, one has to wonder what Rebekah thought would happen. She conspired with Jacob to cheat Esau out of his life’s most valuable possession! Her punishment for that will be played out over the next few passages. Once her favorite son flees, he won’t return until after her own death (Genesis 35:27; 49:31).

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

Earlier, Rebekah overheard her husband’s plan to bless their oldest twin son, Esau (Genesis 27:1–6). Since she preferred the younger, Jacob, she hatched a plot (Genesis 27:7–14). Working with Jacob, she creates an elaborate disguise which fools the elderly, blind Isaac into blessing the wrong son (Genesis 27:15–17). Esau, of course, is distraught when he finds out that he’s been cheated by his brother (Genesis 27:30–35). That despair rapidly turns to white-hot rage, and an intent to murder (Genesis 27:41).

Luckily for Jacob, word of this vengeful hate makes it to Rebekah, who again compels her son Jacob to action. She uses the same language she had employed earlier. Rebekah tells Jacob to “obey [her] voice,” as when she compelled him to participate in the scheme to deceive Isaac. Now she commands his obedience again, this time to run away from his murderous brother.

Specifically, she commands Jacob to flee to her brother Laban’s house, in Haran, in Mesopotamia. We last saw Laban when Abraham’s servant went to Abraham’s people looking for a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:1–4). He found Rebekah (Genesis 24:23–28). Her father and her brother Laban agreed to allow her to travel back to Canaan and marry Isaac. That had been many, many years ago.

Now Rebekah is counting on her brother to provide Jacob a place to stay away from Esau. In addition, we will see that she may also want Jacob to find a wife of his own from among her people. At least, that’s what she will tell Isaac.

When Abraham and Sarah tried to scheme a solution, they created heartache and a split family (Genesis 16:1–5; 21:9–14). Rebekah’s deception of Isaac may have fulfilled a prophecy (Genesis 25:23), but it also created a rift between brothers. And, in her own case, it will mean saying goodbye to her favored son; after this passage, Scripture only mentions Rebekah in reference to her death (Genesis 49:31).

Verse 44. and stay with him a while, until your brother ‘s fury turns away —

Rebekah overheard Isaac’s plan to bless Esau, and hatched a plot to help Jacob steal it (Genesis 27:1–6). She herself concocted a disguise and compelled Jacob to use it (Genesis 27:7–17). That resulted in a successful deception (Genesis 27:30–35), but it also drove Esau into a murderous rage (Genesis 27:41). Once again, Rebekah manages to come across valuable information. She has heard of Esau’s plan to kill Jacob for stealing away the blessing Isaac had intended to give to him. Now she is commanding Jacob to run away to her brother Laban’s household in Mesopotamia (Genesis 24:1–4; 23–28). She wants Jacob to stay there until Esau cools down, until his murderous rage passes.

She doesn’t suggest how long that might take. Given how much she favors Jacob (Genesis 25:28), she probably does not realize that this will be, essentially, a permanent goodbye. She intends to call Jacob back some day. However, once Jacob flees, he will not return until after Rebekah has died (Genesis 35:27; 49:31). Her deception might have obtained a blessing for her son, but it cost her dearly.

Verse 45. until your brother ‘s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

Esau has a plan to kill Jacob (Genesis 27:41). His rage is sinful, but not unexpected. Jacob conspired with their mother, Rebekah, to fool their blind father, Isaac, into giving a blessing to Jacob instead of Esau (Genesis 27:1–6; 30–35). Rebekah has learned of Esau’s vengeful intentions. She is compelling Jacob, actually commanding him, to run for his life to her brother’s household in Mesopotamia (Genesis 24:1–4; 24:23–28). She tells Jacob she wants him to stay there until Esau forgets that Jacob has stolen Isaac’s blessing from him. She wants Jacob to stay far away until Esau’s fury passes (Genesis 27:43–44).

She promises to send for Jacob when that day comes, though she gives no clue about when it might be. She does describe her greatest fear: losing both of her sons. If Esau kills him, Jacob would be dead and then Esau himself would likely be killed or sent away. She desperately wants to prevent that. As it turns out, Rebekah’s plot will cost her a relationship with the son she greatly favors (Genesis 25:28). So far as we can tell from Scripture, Jacob will not return until after Rebekah has died (Genesis 35:27; 49:31).

Verse 46. Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

In the previous verses, Rebekah has commanded Jacob to run from the murderous rage of his brother (Genesis 27:41) and to go stay with her brother Laban (Genesis 24:1–4, 23–28) until Esau’s fury passes. We’re not told anything of Jacob’s response. Did he refuse to go or did Rebekah need for Isaac to send him to make it happen? We don’t know. In either case, Rebekah seems to have included Isaac in her plan, which once again involves deception.

Rebekah does not tell Isaac her true fear that Esau would kill Jacob. Perhaps she doesn’t think that would compel Isaac to act quickly enough. Perhaps she doesn’t think Isaac would believe such a thing of his favorite son. Instead, Rebekah manipulates Isaac once again, this time by complaining about Esau’s wives, the Hittite women who had made life bitter for both of them, according to Genesis 26:35. Now she says to Isaac colorfully that she hates her life because of those women. In fact, what good will her life even be if Jacob also marries one of the local women?

She does not come out and say directly that Isaac should send Jacob to her brother to find a wife. At least, we’re not told that she does so. Still, in the following verses Isaac will send Jacob away for that very reason. Rebekah has accomplished her goal to get Jacob out of town. This, so far as Scripture is concerned, is the last time Rebekah will see Jacob (Genesis 27:43–44). His reunion with Isaac will happen many years later (Genesis 35:27), but no mention is made of his mother, who presumably has passed away, never again seeing her favorite son (Genesis 49:31).

End of Chapter 27.

Please Note:

The material use in this post, video is from BibleRef.com which is from Got Questions Ministries and is posted here to be read by Immersive reader in the Edge Browser. If you copy this material please follow these rules:

•Content from BibleRef.com may not be used for any commercial purposes, or as part of any commercial work, without explicit prior written consent from Got Questions ministries.

•Any use of our material should be properly credited; please make it clear the content is from BibleRef.com.

•BibleRef.com content may not be altered, modified, or otherwise changed unless such changes are specifically noted.