Genesis 27:18

27:18-29 In scene three, Jacob deceives his father and receives the blessing.

27:18-20 Jacob lied about his identity, and then came close to blasphemy by lying about God.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Observe here, I. The art and assurance with which Jacob managed this intrigue. Who would have thought that this plain man could have played his part so well in a design of this nature? His mother having put him in the way of it, and encouraged him in it, he dexterously applied himself to those methods which he had never accustomed himself to, but had always conceived an abhorrence of. Note, Lying is soon learnt. The psalmist speaks of those who, as soon as they are born, speak lies, Psa 58:3; Jer 9:5. I wonder how honest Jacob could so readily turn his tongue to say (Gen 27:19), I am Esau thy first-born; nor do I see how the endeavour of some to bring him off with that equivocation, I am made thy first-born, namely by purchase, does him any service; for when his father asked him (Gen 27:24), Art thou my very son Esau? he said, I am. How could he say, I have done as thou badest me, when he had received no command from his father, but was doing as his mother bade him? How could he say, Eat of my venison, when he knew it came, not from the field, but from the fold? But especially I wonder how he could have the assurance to father it upon God, and to use his name in the cheat (Gen 27:20): The Lord thy God brought it to me. Is this Jacob? Is this Israel indeed, without guile? It is certainly written, not for our imitation, but for our admonition. Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Good men have sometimes failed in the exercise of those graces for which they have been most eminent.

II. The success of this management. Jacob with some difficulty gained his point, and obtained the blessing.

1. Isaac was at first dissatisfied, and would have discovered the fraud if he could have trusted his own ears; for the voice was Jacob's voice, Gen 27:22. Providence has ordered a strange variety of voices as well as faces, which is also of use to prevent our being imposed upon; and the voice is a thing not easily disguised nor counterfeited. This may be alluded to to illustrate the character of a hypocrite. His voice is Jacob's voice, but his hands are Esau's. He speaks the language of a saint, but does the works of a sinner; but the judgement will be, as here, by the hands.

2. At length he yielded to the power of the cheat, because the hands were hairy (Gen 27:23), not considering how easy it was to counterfeit that circumstance; and now Jacob carries it on dexterously, sets his venison before his father, and waits at table very officiously, till dinner is done, and the blessing comes to be pronounced in the close of this solemn feast. That which in some small degree extenuates the crime of Rebekah and Jacob is that the fraud was intended, not so much to hasten the fulfilling, as to prevent the thwarting, of the oracle of God: the blessing was just going to be put upon the wrong head, and they thought it was time to bestir themselves. Now let us see how Isaac gave Jacob his blessing, Gen 27:26-29. (1.) He embraced him, in token of a particular affection to him. Those that are blessed of God are kissed with the kisses of his mouth, and they do, by love and loyalty, kiss the Son, Psa 2:12. (2.) He praised him. He smelt the smell of his raiment, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed, that is, like that of the most fragrant flowers and spices. It appeared that God had blessed him, and therefore Isaac would bless him. (3.) He prayed for him, and therein prophesied concerning him. It is the duty of parents to pray for their children, and to bless them in the name of the Lord. And thus, as well as by their baptism, to do what they can to preserve and perpetuate the entail of the covenant in their families. But this was an extraordinary blessing; and Providence so ordered it that Isaac should bestow it upon Jacob ignorantly and by mistake, that it might appear he was beholden to God for it, and not to Isaac. Three things Jacob is here blessed with: - [1.] Plenty (Gen 27:28), heaven and earth concurring to make him rich. [2.] Power (Gen 27:29), particularly dominion over his brethren, namely, Esau and his posterity. [3.] Prevalency with God, and a great interest in Heaven: "Cursed by every one that curseth thee and blessed be he that blesseth thee. Let God be a friend to all thy friends, and an enemy to all they enemies." More is certainly comprised in this blessing than appears prima facie - at first sight. It must amount to an entail of the promise of the Messiah, and of the church; this was, in the patriarchal dialect, the blessing: something spiritual, doubtless, is included in it. First, That from him should come the Messiah, who should have a sovereign dominion on earth. It was that top-branch of his family which people should serve and nations bow down to. See Num 24:19, Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, the star and sceptre, Gen 27:17. Jacob's dominion over Esau was to be only typical of this, Gen 49:10. Secondly, That from him should come the church, which should be particularly owned and favoured by Heaven. It was part of the blessing of Abraham, when he was first called to be the father of the faithful (Gen 12:3), I will bless those that bless thee; therefore, when Isaac afterwards confirmed the blessing to Jacob, he called it the blessing of Abraham, Gen 28:4. Balaam explains this too, Num 24:9. Note, It is the best and most desirable blessing to stand in relation to Christ and his church, and to be interested in Christ's power and the church's favours.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

he came unto his father--The scheme planned by the mother was to be executed by the son in the father's bedchamber; and it is painful to think of the deliberate falsehoods, as well as daring profanity, he resorted to. The disguise, though wanting in one thing, which had nearly upset the whole plot, succeeded in misleading Isaac; and while giving his paternal embrace, the old man was roused into a state of high satisfaction and delight.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

18. who art thou, my son] These words indicate the state of blindness of Isaac. The element of doubt arises from an imperfect recognition of the voice.

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 he came unto his father,.... Into the tent and apartment where he was:

and said, my father; to try whether he was awake, and to let him know that he was come, since he could not see him:

and he said, here am I; what hast thou to say to me?

who art thou, my son? for, from the voice and the quick dispatch made, he suspected it was not his son Esau.

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

And he came unto his father, by this time a bed-ridden invalid (vide ver. 19)and said, My father. If he attempted to imitate the voice of Esau, he was manifestly unsuccessful; the dull ear of the aged patient was yet acute enough to detect a strangeness in the speaker"s tone. And he said, Here am I who art thou, my son? "He thought be recognized the voice of Jacob; his suspicions were aroused; he knew the crafty disposition of his younger son too well; and he felt the duty of extreme carefulness" (Kalisch).

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

But Jacob had no easy task to perform before his father. As soon as he had spoken on entering, his father asked him, "Who art thou, my son?" On his replying, "I am Esau, thy first-born," the father expressed his surprise at the rapid success of his hunting; and when he was satisfied with the reply, "Jehovah thy God sent it (the thing desired) to meet me," he became suspicious about the voice, and bade him come nearer, that he might feel him. But as his hands appeared hairy like Esau's, he did not recognise him; and "so he blessed him." In this remark (Gen 27:23) the writer gives the result of Jacob's attempt; so that the blessing is merely mentioned proleptically here, and refers to the formal blessing described afterwards, and not to the first greeting and salutation.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Isaac Blesses Jacob

v. 18. And he came unto his father, and said, My father; and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

v. 19. And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau, thy first-born; I have done according as thou badest me; arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. Jacob here became guilty of his mother’s deceit in deed as well as in words and intent, for he was not Esau, nor was the meat which he was bringing venison. So far as he was concerned, he was trying to obtain his father’s blessing under false pretenses.

v. 20. And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord, thy God, brought it to me. Upon Isaac’s surprised question: How is this? Thou wast quick to find;—Jacob piously refers the supposed luck of his chase to a special blessing of the Lord.

v. 21. And 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. Isaac’s surprise changes into suspicion at the sound of Jacob’s voice and at the indefinite answer which was so unlike Esau’s blunt manner. But it was here that Rebekah’s stratagem proved its worth.

v. 22. And Jacob went near unto Isaac, his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. Isaac was much nearer being convinced, but his suspicions were not yet allayed altogether.

v. 23. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. Isaac did not know and recognize Jacob for the person who he really was, the hairiness of his wrists making him inclined to think him Esau, so he made ready to bless him, the act being anticipated by the author.

v. 24. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. This bold answer settled the doubts of Isaac to such an extent that he was ready for the meal.

v. 25. And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, 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. Thus Jacob gained his first step.

v. 26. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. It was the kiss of the father which was to introduce the blessing.

v. 27. And he came near, and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his raiment which the strategy of Rebekah had placed on him, since their odor was that of the fields and of the chase; and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed. Isaac’s blessing consisted of inspired utterances looking into the future and transmitting the special blessing of the Lord to Jacob.

v. 28. Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine. These were temporal gifts, of great importance in the country which Jacob and his children were to possess. The quantity of the dew, especially during the dry season, determined the fruitfulness of the land. The fat, productive fields of the earth were to be his, the result being a rich yield of grain and new wine.

v. 29. Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee; cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. This part of the blessing describes the position of influence and power which the descendants of Jacob were to occupy. Not only over his brethren, over the people of his own race, including the children of his brother, he was to be lord, but also over strange people and nations. The idea of a world dominion is thus brought out, culminating in the promise that men would be judged according to their attitude toward him and his descendants. Thus the blessing looks forward to the Messiah, the touchstone of the ages, for to this day the right answer to the question: What think ye of Christ? decides the fate of every person in the world.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He said

"And his father replied" or "Isaac replied"

Here I am

"Yes, I am listening" or "Yes, what is it?" See how you translated this in Genesis 22:1.

I have done as you said to me

"I have done what you told me to do"

some of my game

The word "game" refers to wild animals that someone hunts and kills. See how "game" was translated in Genesis 27:3.

translationWords

Jacob

ancestor

Esau

firstborn

bless

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

ויבא אל אביו, into the room where he was lying down. He called to him: אבי, seeing he (Yitzchok) could not see him.

הנני, with a dagesh in both letters נ.

?מי אתה, seeing that he had addressed him simply with the word אבי, he had doubts about whose voice he had heard he had to ask: “who are you?”

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.