Genesis 27:25

Gen 27:25 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.

Ver. 25. Bring it near to me.] Divinum consilium dum devitatur, impletur: humana sapientia, dum reluctatur, comprehenditur, saith Gregory. Here Isaac doth unwilling and unwitting justice.

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.

Gen_27:25-29

God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine

Isaac blessing Jacob

I.

WITH TEMPORAL BLESSINGS.

1. A fertile soil.

2. Abundance of provision.

3. Political pre-eminence.

II. WITH SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS.

1. The channel of spiritual blessing to mankind.

2. A test of character. (T. H. Leale.)

Isaacs blessing--the parents warning

I. First, we shall consider WHEREIN ISAACS BLESSING CONSISTED.

1. Plenty, heaven and earth combining to enrich the happy possessor.

2. Power, almost unlimited, especially over his own brethren.

3. And last, though not the least, a mighty influence with God and a great interest in the courts of heaven. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. Or, in other words, Let God be an enemy to all thy enemies, and a friend to all thy friends.

4. Now these, doubtless, were very desirable mercies, and they belonged, by right, to the first-born; though God was pleased sometimes to revoke that taw, and to transfer these blessings from the elder to the younger, as instanced in the case before us, and also in that of Cain and of Reuben. These, I say, were very desirable mercies, and, when accompanied with the Divine sanction, of untold value. But still, after all, they were but temporary. They lasted only for this life; and Jacob, I doubt not, might have managed very well without any one of them. The blessing of Isaac, therefore, must have comprised something more than what we have here recorded; otherwise we may be well assured that Jacob would never have risked so much to obtain it, nor would his mother ever have placed him in so hazardous and perilous a situation. But the fact is, these temporal blessings were but the shadows of better things to come. They were, to use an apostolic phrase, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. They included all those good things which were more particularly specified to Abraham when God entered into covenant with him. They intimated, for instance, in the first place, that from him should descend the Messiah--He who was to be the Prince of the kings of the earth . . . before whom all nations should come and worship . . . and who was to rule them with a rod of iron, and to break them to shivers as a potters vessel. And, in the second place, that from him also should come the church that was to be specially owned and blessed by God; and consequently we find Isaac, when afterwards confirming the blessing to Jacob, calling it the blessing of Abraham.

II. What were THE MEANS THAT REBEKAH ADOPTED to secure the blessing for her favourite son Jacob. They were little else than a tissue of lies and deceit.

III. Let us now see what LESSONS we may gather up from a contemplation of the whole subject.

1. In the first place, then, it reads a very solemn and affecting warning to parents. It teaches the folly and danger of making invidious distinctions between the different members of your families--of showing an undue partiality for one child more than another. It is a withering curse. It introduces discord and dissension into every family wherever it finds a footing, and it is the fruitful source of all evil, social and moral. Whenever, therefore, you feel its chilling influence beginning to steal over you, oh, remember Rebekah, and in the name and strength of your God shake it from you. Give it no encouragement; or, if you must, keep it to yourself. Let no one else ever see or feel it. In the second place, learn from this subject the way in which our Heavenly Father will have us to seek for His blessing. We must come to Him for it in and through our Elder Brother. We must come clothed in His goodly raiment, even that pure and spotless robe which He wrought for us on Calvary. There is no other way under heaven whereby we can be saved. And if you ask me by what means we are to get this goodly raiment--this pure and spotless righteousness, I answer, simply by asking for it. Ask, says your God and Saviour, and you shall have. And although it cost Him a great price--even His own precious blood--yet He offers it to you without money and without price. Oh, go to Him, then, and ask Him for this precious gift; for the gift of God is eternal life. (E. Harper, B. A.)

Isaac blessing Jacob

1. That parents ought to bless their children; too many do curse, and not bless them.

2. Children ought to fear the causeful curses of their parents. The better son feared the curse of his father (Gen_27:12).

3. Parents ought rather to gather a stock of Divine promises, that they may bless their children more out of faith than out of form, praying for them out of a promise, as Isaac did then for his son Jacob, praying that the blessing of Abraham might come upon him (Gen_28:4).

4. A wishing our childrens weal customarily without a praying for them believingly, is neither enough for parents, nor is it all (or at all) that is warranted by Isaacs blessing Jacob here. There is much difference between a formal wish and a faithful prayer for their good.

5. Spiritual blessings must be sought and sued for in their proper season. Here Esau came too late for the blessing, which was bestowed before he lost the right season (which is a part of time above all other parts, even the shine and lustre of time), so could not obtain it, no, not with tears Heb_12:16-17). (C. Ness.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL NOTES.—

Gen_27:27. And blessed him.] The blessing (Gen_27:27-29) is in the form of poetic parallelism.—

Gen_27:28. The dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth.] In Palestine these are closely connected. The dews are copious, and make up for the lack of rain during several months of the year. The dew of Hermon, and the dew upon the mountains of Zion are spoken of by the Psalmist as an evidence of the Divine blessing. (Psalms 133; Deu_33:13; Deu_33:28.)—

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Gen_27:25-29

ISAAC BLESSING JACOB

The father is at length satisfied, and expresses his paternal affection by a kiss. He accepts his son’s duty and favour in the providing and preparation of the last solemn meal. He then proceeds to bless his son.

I. With temporal blessings.

1. A fertile soil. To him was promised “the fatness of the earth.” This was fulfilled in the exceeding fertility of the Holy Land. (Deu_8:7-9.) This natural richness of the soil was to be replenished by “the dew of heaven,” one blessing answering to and requiring the other. There is a ministry of service and of mediation throughout all parts of God’s works, each department of nature deriving some aid and influence from every other. Hence it is that when God promises one blessing He intends to impart every other blessing which is necessary to complete it. The fatness of the earth shall be answered by the dew of heaven.

2. Abundance of provision. “Corn and wine.” These imply all the rest. All things are promised which are necessary to the sustenance and enjoyment of life.

3. Political pre-eminence. “Let people serve thee.” Here is a promise of universal dominion—lordship over foreign nations. It is also promised that Jacob shall preserve pre-eminence among his own kindred. “Be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee.” This was God’s election, that “the elder should serve the younger.” The greatness and importance of the nation were to be developed throughout the line of Isaac’s family.

II. With spiritual blessings. “Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.” Though not expressed in such clear and full terms, this is virtually the same promise as that made to Abraham. The blessing conveyed to Jacob was—

1. The channel of spiritual blessing to mankind. The seed of Abraham was to proceed throughout history along this chosen line, and in that seed all the families of the earth were to be blessed. “Salvation is of the Jews,” i.e., it must spring forth from them. Also, this blessing was to be—

2. A test of character. A curse was pronounced upon those who should curse Jacob. All who should reject and despise the salvation provided through the seed of Abraham would bring condemnation upon themselves. The position men take up with regard to the salvation offered through the Messiah is a test of spiritual character. Christ was “set for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel.” And by men’s treatment of Him and His claims “the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed.” The whole of the blessing here promised to Jacob is only realised fully in Christ. The possession of a fertile land, the expansion of the chosen family into a great nation, and the subjugation of other peoples are the prominent features in the promise made to Abraham, and they prefigured the glory and dominion which belong to Messiah’s kingdom.

“The beam that shines from Zion’s hill

Will lighten every land;

The King who reigns on Zion’s throne

Shall all the world command.”

SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES

Gen_27:25-26. The kiss was a sign of affection and reverence (Gen_48:10; Psa_2:12). His thus coming in contact with his father’s person would also afford a proof to the senses, from the peculiar scent of his apparel, in favour of his alleged identity. But it was deceiving, if not betraying, his father with a kiss.—(Bush.)

Gen_27:27. The smell in this case was probably occasioned by the aromatic herbs which had been laid up with the clothes, both to prevent their being fretted by the moths, and to give them an agreeable odour. The Orientals are proverbially fond of perfumes. They sprinkle their clothes with scented oils or waters, or fumigate them with the incense from odoriferous woods, or carry such woods or fragrant herbs in a small bag or sewed up in their clothes.—(Bush.)

It is not common to salute, as in England, they simply smell each other; and it is said that some people know their children by the smell. The crown of the head is the principle place for smelling. Of an amiable man it is said, “How sweet is the smell of that man! the smell of his goodness is universal!”—(Roberts.)

Isaac believes, and blessed the younger son in the garments of the elder. If our heavenly father smell upon our backs the savour of our elder brother’s robes, we cannot depart from him unblessed.—(Bp. Hall.)

Gen_27:28. It is probable that the language of the whole verses has a sense beyond that of the simple letter. “The dew of heaven” and the “fatness of the earth” shadow out to us the doctrines of the Gospel and the graces of the Holy Spirit shed forth upon men; in fine, the whole inventory of spiritual mercies which flow to the holy seed in virtue of the covenant made with Abraham. This is confirmed by the drift of the following among other passages—Deu_32:2; Hos_14:6-7; Isa_25:6; Isa_8:8. Indeed, so clearly analogous is this in point of phraseology to the blessing pronounced upon Esau, that, unless we would make them almost equivalent, it would seem imperative upon us to affix some sense to the words over and above that conveyed by the mere letter.—(Bush.)

For Jacob the blessing is, “God give thee of the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth.” Here the earth is postponed to heaven; the blessings of this world to those of the world to come; the gifts of nature to the gifts of grace. But for Esau the blessing is, “Behold thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and the dew of heaven from above.” Here heaven is postponed to earth, the spiritual to the natural, the blessings of salvation to temporal prosperity.

Gen_27:29. This is the only part of the blessing that directly comprises spiritual things, and even this is of a peculiar form. It is to be recollected that it was Isaac’s intention to bless Esau, and he may have felt that Esau, after all, was not to be the progenitor of the holy seed. Hence the form of expression is vague enough to apply to temporal things, and yet sufficiently comprehensive to embrace the infliction of the ban of sin, and the diffusion of the blessing of salvation by means of the holy seed.—(Murphy.)

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. did eat … drank] The feast, consisting of food and drink, is the preliminary to the solemn ceremony of blessing, just as it precedes the rites of a covenant; cf. Gen_26:30; Gen_31:54.

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 said, bring it near to me,.... Being in a good measure satisfied that it must be Esau that was with him, he agreed that he should set his savoury meat before him he had prepared and brought to him:

and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee; this showed that as yet he had not blessed him, at least that the main and principal blessing was yet to come:

and he brought it near to him, and he did eat; set it on a table before him, and guided his hands to it, or fed him with it, and he made a meal of it:

and he brought him wine, and he drank; and so was comfortably refreshed, and in a good temper and disposition of mind to confer the blessing.

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

ויאמר...ואכלה מציד בני, as if he had said: “from your venison.” However, he used a formulation which was customary at the time.

ויבא לו יין, in order to gladden his heart. In those days people generally did not drink wine with their meals unless the expression משתה, is employed by Scripture to indicate that wine was served.

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.