Genesis 27:26

Gen 27:26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

Ver. 26. Come near now, and kiss me, my son.] Kissing is a symbol of sweetest love: and those that "love out of a pure heart fervently," {1Pe 1:22} do therefore kiss, as desiring to transfuse, if it might be, the souls of either into other, and to become one with the party so beloved, and, in the best sense, kissed.

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.

26. Come near now, and kiss me. We know that the practice of kissing was then in use, which many nations retain to this day. Profane men, however, may say, that it is ludicrous for an old man, whose mind was already obtuse, and who moreover had eaten and drunk heartily, should pour forth his benedictions upon a person who was only acting a part. But whereas Moses has previously recorded the oracle of God, by which the adoption was destined for the younger son, it behoves us reverently to contemplate the secret providence of God, towards which profane men pay no respect. Truly Isaac was not so in bondage to the attractions of meat and drink as to be unable, with sobriety of mind, to reflect upon the divine command given unto him, and to undertake in seriousness, and with a certain faith in his own vocation, the very work in which, on account of the infirmity of his flesh, he vacillated and halted. Therefore, we must not form our estimate of this blessing from the external appearance, but from the celestial decree; even as it appeared at length, by the issue, that God neither vainly sported, nor that man rashly proceeded in this affair: and, truly, if the same religion dwells in us which flourished in the patriarch’s heart, nothing will hinder the divine power from shining forth the more clearly in the weakness of man.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(26) Come near now, and kiss me, my son.—This was the solemn preparation for the giving of the blessing. Isaac’s suspicions had now quite passed away. He had eaten and drunk, and the time had now come for the decision which son was to inherit the promise.

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

And his father Isaac said unto him,.... After he had eat and drank, and the repast was over, and all were took away:

come near now, and kiss me, my son; which was desired either out of affection to him, excited by this instance of preparing such savoury and agreeable food; or else having some suspicion still, and willing to have more satisfaction before he proceeded further to bless, from the smell of his breath, and of his garments,

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

Which he did, either that he might more fully satisfy himself concerning the person, or rather as a mark of that special favour and affection wherewith he bestowing the blessing. Compare Gen 48:10.

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

he smelled the smell of his clothes and blessed him

It can be made explicit that the clothes smelled like Esau's clothes. AT: "he smelled his clothes and they smelled like Esau's clothes, so Isaac blessed him" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

he smelled

"Isaac smelled"

the smell

"the scent"

blessed him

"then he blessed him." This refers to the formal blessing a father pronounces on his children.

See, the smell of my son

The word "see" is used as an emphatic figure of speech to mean "it is true." AT: "Truly, the smell of my son"

that Yahweh has blessed

Here the word "blessed" means that Yahweh has caused good things to happen to the field and it has become fruitful. AT: "that Yahweh has caused to be very productive" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

Isaac

kiss

Jacob

bless

Yahweh

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

ויאמר...ושקה לי, he did not say: “I will kiss you,” but asked Yaakov (thinking it was Esau) to kiss him. It is a rule that kissing has to be initiated by the senior of two people who kisses the one who is in a socially inferior position (as a sign of his fondness for him) If two people are of the same social status they kiss each other as we find in Samuel I 20,41 וישקו איש את רעהו, “they kissed one another” (David and Yonathan) Why then did Yitzchok suggest that they reverse their roles regarding kissing? Seeing that Yitzchok could not see Yaakov and would have had to use his hands to find the part of his face he wanted to kiss, he considered it easier to reverse the procedure.

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.