Genesis 27:15

Gen 27:15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which [were] with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

Ver. 15. And Rebekah took goodly raiment.] The priestly garments, some think, proper to Esau had he kept his birthright; but kept, not by Esau or his wives, but by the mother of the family. The Hebrew calleth them Vestes desiderabiles, garments of desires; goodly, sweet, precious; yet far inferior to that rich and royal robe of Christ’s righteousness, that garment of our Older Brother, wherewith arrayed we obtain the blessing. We read of Solomen’s bravery; of Herod’s cloth of silver; of Alcisthenes the Sybarite’s cloak, sold to the Carthaginians by Dionysius for one hundred and twenty talents; of Demetrius’s robe of estate, which, for the exceeding costliness of it, no prince that came after him would ever put on. {a} But all these were but rags to the robe of righteousness, that fine white linen, and shining. {Rev 19:14}

{a} Propter invidiosam impendii magnificentiam . - Athenaeus.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CHAPTER 27:15-29

And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, literally, the robes of Esau her son the elder the desirable, i.e. the handsome ones. The Dg,b, was an outer garment worn by the Oriental, (Gen_39:12, Gen_39:13, 15 41:42) stolh, LXX, and was often made of beautiful and costly materials (cf. 1Ki_22:10) That the clothes mentioned as belonging to Esau were sacerdotal robes possessed by him as heir of the patriarchal priesthood (Jewish Rabbis), though regarded by many as a probable conjecture (Ainsworth, Bush, Candlish, Clarke, Wordsworth, "Speaker"s Commentary," Inglis), is devoid of proof, and may be pronounced unlikely, since the firstborn did not serve in the priesthood while his father lived (Willet, Alford). They were probably festive garments of the princely hunter (Kalisch)which were with her in the house, not because Esau saw that his wives were displeasing to his parents (Mercerus, Willet), or because they were sacred garments (Ainsworth, Poole), but probably because Esau, though married, had not yet quitted the patriarchal household (Kalisch)and put them upon Jacob her younger son. The verb, being in the hiphil, conveys the sense of causing Jacob to clothe himself, which entirely removes the impression that Jacob was a purely involuntary agent in this deceitful and deeply dishonorable affair.

HOMILETICS.

Vers. 15-29.

The stolen blessing: a domestic drama. 2. Isaac and Jacob, or the successful stratagem.

I JACOB"S DECEPTION OF ISAAC. Jacob"s impersonation of Esau was

1. Deftly prepared. The ingenious Rebekah, having dressed him in the fragrant festal robes of the princely hunter, covered his smooth skin with the soft, silky hide of the camel-goat, and put into his hand the simulated dainty dish which she had cooked. It is a melancholy thing when either woman"s wit or man"s sagacity is prostituted to unholy ends.

2. Boldly avowed. Entering his father"s tent, and approaching within easy reach of the invalid"s couch, at the same time imitating Esau"s intonations, the heartless impostor calls upon his aged parent to arise and eat of his son"s venison, in response to his father"s inquiry also openly declaring himself to be Esau; in which was a fourfold offence against his venerable father, against his absent brother, against himself, and against God. Never is a lie, and seldom is a sin of any kind, single or simple in its criminality. That scheme cannot be a good one of which the first act is a lie.

3. Persistently maintained. In the face of his father"s searching interrogation, careful examination, and manifest trepidation, Jacob brazens out the imposture he had begun, covering his first falsehood by a second, and his second by a third, in which he Verges on the limits of blasphemy, allowing himself to be handled by his aged parent without betraying by a word or sign the base deception he was practicing, and at length capping his extraordinary wickedness by a solemn asseveration of his identity with Esau that carried with it in the hearing of Isaac much of the impressiveness and weight of an oath, am thy very son Esau!" It is amazing to what depths of criminality those may fall who once step aside from the straight paths of virtue.

4. Completely successful. Critical as the ordeal was through which he passed, he was not detected So God sometimes allows wicked schemes to prosper, accomplishing his own designs thereby, though neither approving of the schemes nor holding the schemers guiltless.

II ISAAC"S BENEDICTION Or JACOB. The patriarchal blessing which Isaac uttered was

1. Divinely inspired as to its origin. It was not within the power of Isaac to either conceive or express it in any arbitrarily selected moment, or in any particular way or place that he might determine. Least of all was it the production of -Isaac"s ordinary faculties under the physical or mental impulse of delicious viands or paternal affection. It was the outcome of an unseen afflatus of the Divine Spirit upon the venerable patriarch"s soul. (Heb_11:20)

2. Providentially directed as to its destination. Intended for the firstborn, it was pronounced upon the younger of his sons. Had Rebekah and Jacob not interposed with their miserable trick, there is reason to suppose that God would have discovered means of defeating the misguided patriarch"s design; perhaps by laying an embargo upon his lips, as he did on Balaam; (Num_22:38) perhaps by miraculously guiding his speech, as afterwards he guided Jacob"s hands. (Gen_48:14) But nonetheless is the Divine finger discernible in carrying the heavenly blessing to its predestined recipient, that he does not interfere with Rebekah"s craft, but allows it, beneath the guidance of his ordinary providence, to work out its appropriate result.

3. Richly laden as to its contents embraced

(1) Material enrichment, represented by the dew, corn, and wine, which may also be regarded as symbolic of spiritual treasures;

(2) personal advancement in the world and the Church, foreshadowing both the political supremacy and ecclesiastical importance to which Israel should afterwards attain;

(3) spiritual influence, emblematic of the religious priesthood enjoyed first by the Hebrew people as a nation, and latterly by Christ, the true Seed of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.

4. Absolutely permanent as to its duration. Though Isaac subsequently learnt of the deception which had been practiced towards him, he felt that the words he had spoken were beyond recall This was proof decisive that Isaac spake not of himself, but as he was moved by the Holy Ghost. His own benediction, uttered purely by and from himself, might, and, in the circumstances, probably would, have been revoked; the blessing of Jehovah transmitted through his undesigned act he had no power to cancel.

Learn

1. That those who attempt to deceive others are not infrequently themselves deceived.

2. That those who enter on a sinful course may speedily sink deeper into sin than they intended.

3. That deception practiced by a son against a father, at a mother"s instigation, is a monstrous and unnatural display of wickedness.

4. That God can accomplish his own designs by means of man"s crimes, without either relieving them of guilt or himself being the author of sin.

5. That the blessing of God maketh rich and addeth no sorrow therewith.

6. That the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 15. Goodly raiment] Mr. Ainsworth has a sensible note on this place. "The priest in the law had holy garments to minister in, Ex 28:2-4, which the Septuagint there and in this place term την στολην, THE robe, and στολην αγιαν, the holy robe. Whether the first-born, before the law, had such to minister in is not certain, but it is probable by this example; for had they been common garments, why did not Esau himself, or his wives, keep them? But being, in all likelihood, holy robes, received from their ancestors, the mother of the family kept them in sweet chests from moths and the like, whereupon it is said, Ge 27:27, Isaac smelled the smell of his garments." The opinion of Ainsworth is followed by many critics.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(15) Goodly raiment.—It has been supposed that the elder son held a sort of priestly office in the household, and as Isaac’s sight was growing dim, that Esau ministered for him at sacrifices. Evidently the clothing was something special, and such as was peculiar to Esau: for ordinary raiment, however handsome, would not have been kept in the mother’s tent, but in that of Esau or of one of his wives.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15. the goodly raiment] “Goodly,” lit. “choice,” “desirable.” By this is meant the clothes worn by Esau on festivals and solemn occasions. Their odour was familiar, Gen_27:27. It was the ancient Jewish idea that priestly garments were meant.

with her in the house] We are to infer from this expression that in this narrative of J (E) there is no knowledge of Esau’s marriage with the Hittite women as recorded by P in Gen_26:34. Esau as a married man would have had a separate establishment. His festal attire would not have been in his mother’s keeping.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Rebekah took goodly garments of her eldest son Esau,.... Or "desirable" (q) ones, exceeding good ones:

which were with her in the house; which she had the care and keeping of, and were wore only on particular occasions: some think these were priestly garments, which belonged to him as the firstborn, and were not in the keeping of his wives, being idolaters, but in his mother's keeping; which is not very probable, yet more likely than that they were, as some Jewish writers (r) say, the garments of Adam the first man, which Esau seeing on Nimrod, greatly desired them, and slew him for them, see Gen 10:10; and hence called desirable garments:

and put them upon Jacob her younger son; that be might be took for Esau, should Isaac examine him and feel his garments, or smell them.

(q) "desideratissimis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. (r) Targum Jon. in loc. Bereshit Rabba, sect. 65. fol. 58. 1. Pirke Eliezer, c. 24. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 3. 1.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Very good. Hebrew desirable, kept among perfumes, ver. 27. Such, the Hebrews say, were used by the first-born, when they offered sacrifice. (St. Jerome, q. Hebrews.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Either the sacerdotal garments which the eldest son wore in the administration of that office which belonged to him; or rather some other suit better than ordinary.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

15. Goodly raiment — The costly festive robes of Esau. According to a rabbinical tradition the eldest son, in patriarchal times, had a priestly garment which he always put on when offering sacrifice, and this robe the rabbins suppose to have been the priestly robe.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

She put the skins of the young goats on his hands

The goat skins still had the hair on them.

She put the delicious food and the bread that she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob

"She gave to her son Jacob the delicious food and bread which she had prepared"

translationWords

Rebekah

Esau

Jacob

goat

bread

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

החמדות THE COSTLY GARMENTS — the clean ones, as the Targum has it, דכיתא (clean); (cf. Rashbam). Another explanation: They are called חמדות literally, coveted ones, because he had coveted them from Nimrod (who also was a hunter; cf. Genesis 10:9) (Genesis Rabbah 65:16)

אשר אתה בבית WHICH WERE WITH HER IN THE HOUSE — But he had several wives and yet he stored them with his mother! But the reason for this was that he was acquainted with their practices and was suspicious of them (Genesis 10:9) (he feared that they might steal his clothes) (Genesis Rabbah 65:16).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ESAU HER ELDER SON, JACOB HER YOUNGER SON. The reason why Scripture mentions this is to accentuate the unusual action of the righteous one, for parents customarily give recognition to the firstborn in blessing, honor, and gift, but she, knowing of the righteousness of the younger and the wickedness of the elder, went to all this trouble to transfer the blessing and the honor from the elder to the younger. Similarly, it says further on, And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah, and she sent and called Jacob her younger son.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

וילך..ותקח...החמודות, costly garments which he would wear on special occasions, especially when taking his places among the leading personalities of his time. He would keep these clothes wrapped in fragrant flowers from the field so that they would exude such a fragrance when worn. This is why Yitzchok reacted to Yaakov’s appearing before him dressed in these garments by saying: “the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of the field.”

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.