1Isaac sendeth Esau for venison. 6Rebekah instructeth Jacob to obtain the blessing. 18Jacob under the person of Esau obtaineth it. 30Esau bringeth venison; Isaac is alarmed, but confirmeth the blessing to Jacob. 34Esau complaineth, and by importunity obtaineth a blessing. 41He threateneth Jacob's life, 42whom Rebekah sendeth away.
1AND it came to pass, that when Isaac was 1old, and 2his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his 3eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, 4Behold, here am I.
1 Some conjecture that he may have been about 137 years old.
2 Not without the wonderful providence of God, Who by this blindness did not only exercise His servant Isaac, but likewise brought it about that the right of primogeniture was conferred upon Jacob.
3 That is, the firstborn.
4 See Gen. 22 on verse 1.
2And he said, Behold now, I am old, 5I know not the day of my death:
5 That is, I have so little time left in me to live that I do not know how soon death may surprise me, and must expect him every hour and every moment.
3Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy 6quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and 7take me some venison;
6 Hebr. pendant-quiver, or any kind of device, which were hung about.
7 Hebr. hunt me a hunting, That is, with hunting catch a venison, which will be to me for food. Also verse 5.
4And make me 8savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that 9my soul may bless 10thee before I die.
8 Or, something tasteful.
9 That is, I, with an honest intent and purpose of mind.
10 Understand this not of a common and ordinary blessing which parents are able to give their children upon any occasion, but of a most singular, extraordinary and excellent solemn prophetical blessing, dressed and solemnized in manner of a last will and testament, declaring his son the heir apparent of all the spiritual and corporal promises made to him and his father; also Gen. 28:1.
5And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
6¶And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
7Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee 11before the LORD before my death.
11 That is to say, with such a blessing as shall be pronounced in His name, and as in His presence, and confirmed by His guidance and direction.
8Now therefore, my son, 12obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
12 Although Rebekah makes use of means in this business, which cannot be completely excused, nevertheless the matter itself that she endeavored to bring the right of primogeniture upon Jacob, did agree with God’s will and declaration, see Gen. 25:23.
9Go now to the flock, and 13fetch me from thence two 14good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
13 Hebr. take; but the Hebrew word does likewise here comprehend the signification to bring, and both together they imply as much as to fetch. See Gen. 12 on verse 15.
14 That is, fat ones, well fed, and increased in growth. Compare Gen. 41:5.
10And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
11And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a 15hairy man, and I am a 16smooth man:
15 That is, rough-skinned.
16 That is, soft-skinned.
12My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him 17as a deceiver; 18and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
17 Hebr. cheater. The particle as, is sometimes used not for that which only seems to appear, but which is so indeed. See Neh. 7:2; John 1:14; 2 Cor. 3:18.
18 Compare Deut. 27:18.
13And his mother said unto him, Upon me be 19thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go 20fetch me them.
19 Rebekah speaks thus confidently, not out of any light-mindedness, but, as it seems, out of an assured hope of a good outcome, arguing and concluding with herself, not only from the clear oracle of God, but likewise from the ungracious conduct of Esau, that the right of primogeniture did not belong to him, but to his brother Jacob.
20 Hebr. take me, That is, take and bring them me, namely, the two young he-goats, as I commanded. See verse 9.
14And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
15And Rebekah took 21goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, 22which were with her in the house, 23and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
21 Hebr. desirable garments, or, garments of desirableness, that is, such as are much desired and delighted in; that is, fair and costly clothes.
22 That is, which she kept and laid up in well-scented trunks, as appears by verse 27.
23 This and the following action, verse 16, which Rebekah made use of to attain her design, is indeed a kind of deceit, but less censurable, as her intent was thereby to help and to bring her husband from his error into the right way, to fulfill the will of God, and to put Jacob in the possession of that which by God’s intimated decree belonged unto him.
16And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
17And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18¶And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19And Jacob said unto his father, 24I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless 25me.
24 It is indeed commendable in Jacob that he did highly esteem and earnestly long for the right of primogeniture, but the way he goes about it, deserves no praise, making use of untruth. The former was in him from God through faith in His promises; the latter was from himself through the frailty of human corruption.
25 See verse 4.
20And Isaac said unto his son, How is it 26that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.
26 Hebr. that thou hast found it so soon, my son? These words may likewise be rendered thus, what is this that thou has found so soon?, or, how hast thou found that so soon?
21And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, 27The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of 28Esau.
27 That is, the sound is just as it were the voice of Jacob.
28 That is, as rough as if they were Esau’s hands, as it is declared in verse 23. Hereby it appears that Isaac began to doubt whether this matter happened correctly, nevertheless God’s purpose proceeded.
23And he 29discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
29 Remarkably by a wonderful direction of the providence of God, which, besides the blindness of his eyes, permits an ignorance of the mind to come over him that he proceeds to the blessing, although he knew Jacob’s voice, and was doubtful still as appears in the next verse.
24And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s 30venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
30 Namely, of that which thou hast caught and dressed for me.
26And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and 31kiss me, my son.
31 The kiss was used of old in such solemn benediction, as a pledge of honor and of good will. See Gen. 48:10.
27And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled 32the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, 33the smell of my son is 34as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
32 Whereby he was the more persuaded that Jacob was his son Esau; as if he said: His clothing does not smell like the stables of animals, but like the sweet fields.
33 That is, the smell of my son’s clothing.
34 Which smell is chiefly caused by the moderation of the air, the goodness of the soil, and the precious abundance of all kinds of vegetation. The meaning is: that as the pleasant smell of a field is a sign of its goodly situation, precious fruits and rich abundance, as such is the smell of my son’s clothing a sign unto me of his and his future blessedness, which is to be compared with an excellent agriculture.
28Thereforea God 35give thee of the 36dew of heaven, and the 37fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
a Heb. 11:20.
35 This is not only to be understood as a wish, but also as a prophecy, which according to the letter would not so much be fulfilled in Jacob himself, but in his descendants. Nevertheless the spiritual benefits typified thereby were common to him with all true believers.
36 Understand under the name dew, which was very necessary in the land of Canaan for the scarcity of the rain, all kinds of blessing which comes over the earth by means of the air and the heavens. Compare Deut. 33:13, 14.
37 That is, abundance of good and precious harvest produced out of good and fruitful fields. Compare Deut. 8:8, and 32:13, 14, and 33:24.
2938Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: 39be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursedbbe every one that curseth thee, 40and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
38 This wish or blessing was especially fulfilled in the times of David, Solomon and the kings of Judah, unto Joram. See Gen. 25 on verse 23.
39 According to the right of primogeniture. See Gen. 25 on verse 31.
b Gen. 12:3.
40 See Gen. 12 on verse 3.
30¶And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet 41scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
41 Hebr. going forth was gone forth.
31And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
33And Isaac 42trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
42 The Hebrew word signifies a very great fright and terror, accompanied with shaking and trembling, as Gen. 42:28; Exod. 19:16, 18. This terror God suffered to seize upon him, partly to restrain him from being angry with Jacob, and partly to make him consider that the effect and success of the blessing pronounced, proceeded from God’s Decree and His everlasting purpose. See Gen. 25:23.
34And when Esauc heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even 43me also, O my father.
c Heb. 12:17.
43 Other, I am likewise my father’s, or, I am likewise thy son, my father; also verse 38.
35And he said, Thy brother came 44with subtilty, and hath taken away 45thy blessing.
44 Hebr. fraud, deceit. Isaac indeed calls Jacob’s action deceit, as indeed it was; but now he understood plainly that he himself had been the cause of it by his foregoing foolishness; as this appears because he persevered, being deceived, with that which he had done. See verse 23.
45 That is, which by nature appertained to you, and I was fully resolved to give it you.
36And he said, 46Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times:d he took away 47my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away 48my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
46 Why he was called Jacob is to be seen Gen. 25:26; namely, because he laid hold on his brother’s heel at his birth; but Esau interprets this name as if he had tripped up his heel, that is, had outwitted and cheated him, which signification the Hebrew word may bear well enough. See Jer. 17:9.
d Gen. 25:33.
47 This is false, for he had freely and of his own accord sold the same unto him. See Gen. 25:32, 33.
48 The blessing belonged to the right of primogeniture, but having sold the same, the blessing did not appertain to him.
37And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his 49brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I 50sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
49 That is, Esau’s generation and descendants.
50 That is, I have so furnished and well provided for him that he shall not only have enough, but also what may serve him unto exceptional fortification.
38And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou 51but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esaue lifted up his voice, and wept.
51 Understand by this one blessing, the most important one, whereby Jacob was now the declared heir of the Divine covenant and of the land of Canaan.
e Heb. 12:17.
39And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
40And 52by thy sword shalt thou live, and 53shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt 54break his 55yoke from off thy neck.
52 That is, thou shalt be put to it, to maintain thy people, country, and substance by force of arms, and by reason thereof live a troublesome life in the midst of many wars.
53 See Gen. 25 on verse 23.
54 See the fulfillment of it in 2 Kings 8:20, 22.
55 See 2 Sam. 8:14.
41¶And Esau 56hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau 57said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
56 This hatred descended as by inheritance upon the children and posterity. See Ezek. 35:5; Amos 1:11; Obad. 10.
57 That is, by himself. Howbeit he not only thought so, but revealed it either by words or gestures, so that it came to his mother’s ears, as appears in verse 42.
42And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, 58Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
58 Rebekah reveals to her son what she understood of Esau’s intention, to rouse him to undertake the journey.
43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, 59flee thou to Laban my brother to 60Haran;
59 Hebr. flee thee, or, for thee. See Gen. 12 on verse 1.
60 See Gen. 11 on verse 31.
44And tarry with him a 61few days, until thy brother’s 62fury turn away;
61 That is, certain time. Hebr. a days. Also Gen. 29:20.
62 The Hebrew word signifies a hot and burning wrath, such as was the wrath of Esau.
45Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you 63both in one day?
63 That is, of thee, if Esau would chance to kill you, and of Esau, if for his murder he should be put to death by the magistrate, or otherwise destroyed by a just judgment of God upon him, or would be driven away from the presence of God as Cain.
46Andf Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life 64because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
f Gen. 26:35.
64 Hebr. from, or, before the face of, etc., understand Esau’s wives. See Gen. 26:34.