Genesis 27 commentary

GE ESIS 27 COMME TARY
WRITTE A D EDITED BY GLE PEASE
1. This is a chapter about failure, for Isaac failed to get his son Esau blest, and
Rebekah failed to see her son Jacob blest, for he left and she never saw him again.
Esau failed to get the blessing he wanted, and Jacob also failed to get blest in the
sense of having the inheritance, for he took off and never got it. Everyone was
fighting for success and all ended up failing to just trust God to work it out in his
way.
2. C. H. MACKI TOSH
And, be it remembered, that in setting before us, in faithful love, all the traits of
man's character, it is simply with a view to magnify the riches of divine grace, and
to admonish our souls. It is not, by any means, in order to perpetuate the memory of
sins, for ever blotted out from His sight. The blots, the failures, and the errors of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have been perfectly washed away, and they have taken
their place amid "the spirits of just men made perfect;" but their history remains,
on the page of inspiration, for the display of God's grace, and for the warning of
God's people in all ages; And, moreover, that we my distinctly see that the blessed
God has not been dealing With perfect men and women, but with those of "like
passions as we are" that He has been walking and bearing with the same failures,
the same infirmities, the same errors, as those over which we mourn every day. This
is peculiarly comforting to the heart; and it may well stand in striking contrast with
the way in which the great majority of human biographies are written, in "which,
for the most part, we find, not the history of men, but of beings devoid of error and
infirmity. histories have rather the effect of discouraging than of edifying those who
read them. They are rather histories of what men ought to be, than of what they
really are, and they are, therefore, useless to us, yea, not only useless, but
mischievous.
These chapters present to us the history of Jacob — at least, the principal scenes in that
history. The Spirit of God here sets before us the deepest instruction, first, as to God's
purpose of infinite grace; and, secondly, as to the utter worthlessness and depravity of
human nature.
There is a passage in Genesis 25:1-34 which I purposely passed over, in order to take if
up here, so that we might have the truth in reference to Jacob fully before us "And Isaac
entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord was entreated of
him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her:
and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. And the
Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;
and the elder shall serve the younger." This is referred to in Malachi, where we read, "I
have loved you, saith the Lord: yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau
Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I have loved Jacob, and hated Esau." This is again

referred to in Romans 9:1-33 : "For the children being not yet born, neither having done
any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of
works, but of him that calleth; it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger, as
it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
Let us now examine the chapters consecutively. Genesis 27:1-46 exhibits a most
humbling picture of sensuality, deceit, and cunning; and when one thinks of such things
in connection with the people of God, it is sad and painful to the very last degree. Yet
how true and faithful is the Holy Ghost! He must tell all out. He cannot give us a partial
picture. If he gives us a history of man, he must describe man as he is, and not as he is
not. So, if He unfolds to us the character and ways of God, He gives us God as He is. And
this, we need hardly remark, is exactly what we need. We need the revelation of one
perfect in holiness, yet perfect in grace and mercy, who could come down into all the
depth of man's need, his misery and his degradation, and deal with Him there, and raise
him up out of it into full, unhindered fellowship with Himself in all the reality of what He
is. This is what scripture gives us. God knew what we needed, and He has given it to us,
blessed be His name!
3. Jacob the schemer became Jacob the dreamer and a type of the coming redeemer.
Clarence Macartney in Old Testament Heroes says, “Jacob is the best and worst
man in the Old Testament.” Abraham and Isaac and other heroes excite our
admiration, but we cannot be like them, but we can identify with Jacob in all his
weaknesses. In him we see the dual nature we see in ourselves. Both good and bad
mixed together.
Ford-“Almost every visitation of God to this ;man that is recorded in Genesis was to
correct him, or chastise him, or break him. Jacob needed to be broken by the
hardships of life before he could learn that active obedience his grandfather
Abraham acquired, and that passive obedience his father Isaac possessed.”
“It is true he wanted God’s blessing, but it was not that he might serve God, but that
God might serve him. Jacob’s world, religious as well as secular, was entirely
bounded by Jacob.”
4. MEYER, "This chapter narrates a sad story of the chosen family. Esau is the only
character which elicits universal sympathy. Isaac appears to have sunk into premature
senility. It seems hardly credible that he who had borne the wood for the offering up
Mount Moriah, and had yielded himself so absolutely to the divine will, would have
become so keen an epicure. He could only be reached now through the senses. Perhaps
this was due to the prosperity and even tenor of his life. It is better, after all, to live the
strenuous life, with its uphill climb, than to be lapped in the ease of the valley. The
birthright had been already promised to Jacob, and there was no need for him to win it
by fraud; and Rebekah was truly blameworthy in that she deceived her husband, showed
partiality toward her children, and acted unworthily of herself. Who would have expected
that out of such a family God was about to produce the religious leaders of the world!
Pharaoh would one day crave a blessing from those kid-lined hands!

5. W. H. GRIFFITH THOMAS, "NOWHERE, perhaps, is the real character of the Bible
more evident than in this chapter. The story is given in all its naked simplicity, and,
although no precise moral is pointed, the incidents carry their own solemn lesson to
every reader. All four persons concerned with the history are portrayed without
hesitation or qualification, and the narrative makes its profound impression upon the
reader by its simple but significant recital of facts. It is an unpleasant picture that we
have here presented to us, a family life full of jealousy and deceit. If love is not found in
the home, where may we expect it? And if, in particular, jealousies are found associated
with the profession of faith in God, how terrible is the revelation!
I. The Father's Plot (Ge 27:1, 2, 3, 4)
Isaac's part in the history here recorded is sometimes overlooked, and yet it is evident
that he was in large measure responsible for the sad results. In the time of old age he
calls his elder son and speaks of his own approaching death, inviting his son to prepare
food that he may eat, and at the same time give his elder son the parental and patriarchal
blessing. There does not seem to have been any real sign of approaching death, and, as a
matter of fact, Isaac lived for over forty years after this event. The hurry and secrecy
which characterized his action are also suspicious, and not the least of the sad and
deplorable elements is the association of old age with feasting, personal gratification, and
self-will. It is perfectly clear that he knew of the purposes of God concerning his younger
son (Ge 25:23), and yet here we find him endeavoring to thwart that purpose by
transferring the blessing from the one for whom it was divinely designed. This partiality
for Esau, combined with his own fleshly appetite, led the patriarch into grievous sin, and
we cannot but observe how his action set fire to the whole train of evils that followed in
the wake of his proposal.
Esau was quite ready to fall in with his father's suggestion. He must have at once recalled
the transaction with his brother whereby the birthright had been handed over to Jacob.
He must also have known the divine purpose concerning him and his brother; and
although his marriage with a Canaanitish woman had still further disqualified him for
spiritual primogeniture, it mattered nothing so long as he could recover what he now
desired to have. He realized at last the value of that which his brother had obtained from
him, and he is prompt to respond to his father's suggestion, since he sees in it the very
opportunity of regaining the lost birthright.
II. The Mother's Counter-Plot (Ge 27:5-17)
We have now to observe with equal care the part played by Rebekah. Isaac had evidently
not counted on his wife's overhearing his proposal to Esau, nor had he thought of the
possibility of her astuteness vanquishing his plot. It is necessary that we should be
perfectly clear about Rebekah's part in this transaction. Her object was to preserve for

Jacob the blessing that God intended for him. Her design, therefore, was perfectly
legitimate, and there can be very little doubt that it was inspired by a truly religious
motive. She thought that the purpose of God was in danger, and that there was no other
way of preventing a great wrong being done. It was a crisis in her life and in that of
Jacob, and she was prepared to go the entire length of enduring the Divine curse so long
as her favorite son could retain the blessing that God intended for him. Yet when all this
is said, and it should be continually borne in mind, the sin of Rebekah's act was utterly
inexcusable. We may account for it, but we cannot justify it. She was one of those who
take upon themselves to regard God as unable to carry out His own purposes, thinking
that either He has forgotten, or else that His will can really be frustrated by human craft
and sin. And so she dared to do this remarkably bold thing. She proved herself to be
quite as clever as Isaac and Esau.
Jacob's compliance was not immediate and hearty, for he evidently perceived the very
real risk that he was running (Ge 27:12). He also saw the sin of it in the sight of God, and
feared lest after all he should bring upon himself the Divine curse instead of the Divine
blessing. Yet, influenced and overpowered by the stronger nature of the mother, he at
length accepted the responsibility for this act, and proceeded to carry out his mother's
plans.
III. The Younger Son's Deception (Ge 27:1-29)
The preparations were quickly and skillfully made, and Jacob approached his father with
the food that his mother had prepared for him. The bold avowal that he was the first-
born was persisted in, and his aged father entirely deceived. Lie follows lie, for Jacob had
to pay the price of lies by being compelled to lie on still. Nothing in its way is more awful
than this deception. We pity Jacob as the victim of his mother's love, but we scorn and
deplore his action as the violation of his conscience and the silencing of his better nature.
The terrible thoroughness with which he carried out his mother's plans is one of the most
hideous features of the whole story.
The father's benediction is now given; and although it is mainly couched in terms of
temporal blessing, we see underlying it the thought of that wider influence suggested by
the promise of universal blessing given to Abraham and his seed.
IV. The Elder Son's Defeat (Ge 27:30-40)
It was not long before the true state of affairs came out. Isaac must have been astonished
at the discovery for more than one reason. He had thought doubtless that in blessing, as
he considered, his elder son, he had overreached both Rebekah and Jacob, and now he
finds after all that the Divine purpose has been accomplished in spite of his, own willful
attempt to divert the promise from Jacob. It is, however, to Isaac's credit that he meekly

accepts the inevitable, and is now quite prepared to realize that God's will must be done.
We are not surprised at Esau's behavior, for we know the true character of the man. His
bitter lamentation was due to the mortification he felt at being beaten. His cry of
disappointment was probably, if not certainly, due to the fact that he had lost the
temporal advantage of the birthright and blessing, not that he had lost the spiritual favor
of God associated with it. His indignation at Jacob, like all other anger, is characterized
by untruth; for whilst Jacob undoubtedly supplanted him, the taking away of the
birthright was as much his own free act as it was due to Jacob's superior cleverness. We
cannot help being touched by his tearful request to his father to give him even now a
blessing. He realizes, when it is too late, what has been done, and although a partial
blessing is bestowed upon him it is quite beyond all possibility that things can be as he
had desired them to be. Esau had despised his birthright, but, however it came about, he
was evidently conscious of the value of the blessing; and when the New Testament tells
us that "he found no place for repentance," it means, of course, that there was no
possibility of undoing what had been accomplished. He found no way to change his
father s mind, though he sought earnestly to bring this about (Heb.12:17-note). There is a
sense in which the past is utterly irretrievable, and it is only very partially true that "we
may be what we might have been."
6. COFFMAN, “Beginning with this chapter and throughout the rest of Genesis, the life, posterity,
and activities of Jacob are the invariable theme. In this emphasis, he takes his place as "The Israel"
of God; he was the father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and remained at the head of the chosen
race until they were favorably settled in Egypt, and where they would, in time, become the mighty
nation that God had foretold in his promises to Abraham and Isaac.
The almost monotonous detail of this section is a strange mingling of righteousness and
wickedness, of successes and disasters, of heroism and knavery, of strength and weakness, and of
doubt and faith. The purpose of this detailed account would appear to be that of providing a window
of observation, from which the clear and inevitable consequences of sin are manifested in the lives
of Israel, with the necessary deduction that whatever happened to them provides a safe prophecy of
what always happens when sin is indulged. Indeed, the N.T. flatly affirms this to be true:
"Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11).
"For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that
through patience and through comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans
15:4).SIZE>
The uniqueness and inspiration of this amazing narrative are inherent in the variety
and completeness of the revelation. What men spoke in their own hearts, the true
basis of their motivation, the secrets of their intentions, what they did in the loneliness
of the field, or upon their beds with their wives or concubines, what they did when they
were away from home, how they reacted to temptation, and why they acted as they
did, how they cheated and deceived each other, what they dreamed, the vows they
made, the sorrows they bore, the hardships they endured - on and on, the sacred
record tells it all, without dwelling long either upon their heroic deeds of faith or upon
their shameful acts of jealousy, envy or fraud. Where on earth has there ever been
another history like this one about real people?
Fiction indeed relates many intimate and private actions of its subjects, but the design

is never that of fairness in presenting a total picture; here in Genesis we have both
private and intimate deeds, but also fairness and continuity which never appear in
fiction. This priceless record of the Old Israel is a sacred and precious source book,
loaded with everlasting benefit for the children of the New Israel, who, if they apply
themselves, and are wise, may be able to emulate what was desirable and avoid what
was shameful in the lives of the children of the Old.
ATTEMPTED THEFT OF THE BIRTHRIGHT FRUSTRATED
"And it came to pass that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, that he
could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said unto him, My son: and he
said unto him, Here am I. And he said Behold now, I am old, I know not the day
of my death. Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy
bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison; and make me savory food,
such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee
before I die."
Note the heading we have given this paragraph. It contrasts vividly with that found in
many commentaries. Peake entitled it, "Jacob Cheats Esau of His Father's Blessing";
[1] and Robinson entitled it, "Jacob Steals Esau's Blessing!"[2] Such views cannot be
correct. What is in view here is a plot - initiated by Esau, concurred in by Isaac, and
long nurtured by the flattering deeds of Esau - which was designed to take back the
birthright and the blessing which conveyed it, from Jacob to whom he had sold it and
confirmed the sale with a solemn oath.
The birthright and blessing in view here did not belong to Esau. They were the property
of Jacob, by right of divine prophecy (Genesis 25:33f), a right which Esau despised
and which he had solemnly renounced, "selling it" for one mess of red beans! Whence
then are all these bold denunciations of Jacob for "cheating," "stealing," and
"defrauding his brother"? We concur in the opinion of Morris that such distortions are
the result, as well as the continuing cause, "of tremendous waves of anti-Semitism and
persecutions visited against the Jews through the centuries."[3] Morris gave that
opinion in protest of such titles as "The Stolen Blessing" in Scofield's Reference Bible.
It is a matter of extreme doubt and disobedience that Isaac would have deliberately
decided to give the birthright and blessing to Esau. He knew better, and that he
attempted to do so without the knowledge or consent of Rebekah proves it. Note in the
text, that "such as I love" reveals that Esau had long pampered his father by bringing
those tasty morsels of the hunt. And it is not amiss to understand his doing so by
design to frustrate the will of God and his own ratification of it by an oath.
Perhaps there was some attempt to rationalize his disobedience by Isaac, a thing Esau
had no doubt aided. One device would have been that of making a distinction between
"birthright" and "blessing," as noted by Esau in Genesis 27:36; but there was no
distinction! The birthright automatically carried with it the right of the patriarchal
blessing also. This right, "encompassed headship over Isaac's household, the paradise
land, nationhood with dominion, and mediatorship of divine judgment."[4] It also
included the "double portion" of the father's wealth, and the right of priesthood on
behalf of the Chosen People. Note that this "blessing" which Isaac thought he was
transferring to Esau included exactly those things pertaining to the birthright. We can
discern in the narrative Esau's false interpretation of his shameful "sale" of the
birthright, making it a partial and incomplete thing, which it was not.
These things are not presented as an approval or justification of the deceitful and sinful
things Rebekah and Jacob did in order to frustrate Isaac and Esau's evil purpose, but
an explanation of why they did so, and also a rebuttal of those over-zealous remarks

about what an unqualified scoundrel Jacob was. As a matter of fact, there is not a word
of rebuke from the Lord against any of the wicked deeds visible in this chapter.
Nevertheless, it is clear that, "The sin of Isaac and Esau was infinitely more
grievous."[5]
"I know not the day of my death ..." Speiser remarked that this is meaningless,
because "nobody could be said to know that!"[6] That kind of thinking has led some to
interpret the passage as meaning, "I know that I shall die soon." Despite his remark,
however, Speiser rendered the passage thus: "There's no telling when I may die." That
Isaac indeed acted in the contemplation of death is certain (Genesis 27:4). In this
connection, the age of Isaac should be considered. "Isaac was then in his 137th year,
at which age his half-brother Ishmael had died fourteen years previously."[7]
"My son ..." (Genesis 27:1). Leupold commented on the use of "my son," in this
passage and by Rebekah in Genesis 27:8, noting that they carry the particular
connotation of, "the son which each particularly loved."[8] The shameful and sinful
partiality of both Isaac for Esau and Rebekah for Jacob provide a horrible example of
the evil of such injustice on the part of parents. Papa's Boy and Mama's Boy! Millennial
hatreds between great races of people began right here in this senseless favoritism.
We remarked earlier that God expressed neither approval or disapproval of the
wickedness concentrated here in this chapter, where even Isaac sought to convey the
headship of the Chosen Race to Esau, the profane fornicator with two pagan wives,
who despised all the promises, and whose sensual and inconstant life rendered him
totally unfit for such responsibilities. Whatever view one takes of the consequences of
what the Lord related here, it is crystal clear that God disapproves of all sin, and that
"the wages of sin is death."
Note the sequel to these events:
(1) "Isaac suffered for his preference for Esau, which was not determined by the will of
God, but by his weak affection."[9] Also, his foolish and rebellious intention of by-
passing the will of God with reference to the Messianic line might be identified as the
reason that the Bible virtually closed any further reference to him in the Scriptures.
(2) Esau suffered for his despising the blessings of the birthright.
(3) Rebekah suffered for her part in the deception by being deprived of both her sons.
Jacob left home, and Rebekah, as far as the record says, never saw him anymore.
Esau was further estranged.
(4) Jacob suffered many years of hardship, deception, and injustice at the hands of
Laban. As a keeper of Laban's cattle his status was that of the lowest slaves known in
that day. Hosea made mention of this humiliation of Jacob in Hosea 12:12 as a
deterrent to the pride of Ephraim. See my comment at Hosea 12:12.
(5) The unity of Isaac's family was irrevocably shattered.

1
When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak
that he could no longer see, he called for Esau
his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here
I am," he answered.
1. Here we see a good reason to make final plans before you are so handicapped that
you can be taken advantage of. People who wait too long to take care of their final
affairs tempt others to manipulate them. Isaac felt he was old and would not live
that much longer, but the fact is he lived for another 40 years and more. Still, it
would have been wise to do what he is doing before he lost his sight. Putting things
off is a problem we all face, for it is human nature to wait until we have to do
something rather than just getting it done because it needs to be done.
2. Isaac lived in pre-glasses days, and his eyes were worn out and he was going
blind. Eye problems are among the most common for the aging. This was the
hardest loss for both my grandmother and my wife's grandmother, for they both
loved to read. Isaac had no such problem, for there was not much to read anyway.
He felt old and knew he was capable of dying any day, and so he decided to make
arrangements. In that day they did not worry about car and plane accidents and so
they just waited until they felt really old to make their will.
3. Barnes, “- Isaac Blessing His Sons
The life of Isaac falls into three periods. During the first seventy-five years he is
contemporary with his father. For sixty-one years more his son Jacob remains under the
paternal roof. The remaining forty-four years are passed in the retirement of old age. The
chapter before us narrates the last solemn acts of the middle period of his life.
Gen_27:1-4
Isaac was old. - Joseph was in his thirtieth year when he stood before Pharaoh, and
therefore thirty-nine when Jacob came down to Egypt at the age of one hundred and
thirty. When Joseph was born, therefore, Jacob was ninety-one, and he had sojourned
fourteen years in Padan-aram. Hence, Jacob’s flight to Laban took place when he was
seventy-seven, and therefore in the one hundred and thirty-sixth year of Isaac. “His eyes
were dim.” Weakness and even loss of sight is more frequent in Palestine than with us.
“His older son.” Isaac had not yet come to the conclusion that Jacob was heir of the
promise. The communication from the Lord to Rebekah concerning her yet unborn sons
in the form in which it is handed down to us merely determines that the older shall serve
the younger. This fact Isaac seems to have thought might not imply the transferrence of
the birthright; and if he was aware of the transaction between Esau and Jacob, he may
not have regarded it as valid. Hence, he makes arrangements for bestowing the paternal

benediction on Esau, his older son, whom he also loves. “I am old.” At the age of one
hundred and thirty-six, and with failing sight, he felt that life was uncertain. In the
calmness of determination he directs Esau to prepare savory meat, such as he loved, that
he may have his vigor renewed and his spirits revived for the solemn business of
bestowing that blessing, which he held to be fraught with more than ordinary benefits.
4. Clarke, “Isaac was old - It is conjectured, on good grounds, that Isaac was now
about one hundred and seventeen years of age, and Jacob about fifty-seven; though the
commonly received opinion makes Isaac one hundred and thirty-seven, and Jacob
seventy-seven; but see note on Gen_31:55, etc.
And his eyes were dim - This was probably the effect of that affliction, of what kind
we know not, under which Isaac now labored; and from which, as well as from the
affliction, he probably recovered, as it is certain he lived forty if not forty-three years
after this time, for he lived till the return of Jacob from Padan-aram; Gen_35:27-29.
5. Gill, “And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old,.... He is generally thought
to be about one hundred and thirty seven years of age at this time, which was just the age
of his brother Ishmael when he died, Gen_25:16; and might put him in mind of his own
death as near at hand; though if he was no older, he lived after this forty three years, for
he lived to be one hundred and eighty years old, Gen_35:28,
and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see; which circumstance is
mentioned, not only as a sign of old age, and as common to it, but for the sake of the
following history, and as accounting for it, that he should not know Jacob when he
blessed him; and this was so ordered in Providence, that by means of it the blessing
might be transferred to him, which otherwise in all probability would not have been
done, if Isaac had had his sight:
he called Esau his eldest son; who though he was married, and had been married
thirty seven years at this time, yet still lived in his father's house, or near him; for as he
was born when his father was sixty years of age, and he married when he himself was
forty, and his father must be an hundred, so if Isaac was now one hundred and thirty
seven, Esau must have been married thirty seven years; and though he had disobliged his
father by his marriage, yet he retained a natural affliction for him; nor had he turned him
out of doors, nor had he any thoughts of disinheriting him; but on the contrary intended
to bestow the blessing on him as the firstborn, for which reason he is here called "his
eldest son":
and said unto him, my son; owning the relation, expressing a tender affection for
him, and signifying he had something further to say unto him:
and he said unto him, behold, here am I; by which Esau intimated he was ready to
hear what his father had to say to him, and was willing to obey him. The Targum of
Jonathan says, this was the fourteenth of Nisan, when Isaac called Esau to him.
6. Henry, “Here is, I. Isaac's design to make his will, and to declare Esau his heir. The
promise of the Messiah and the land of Canaan was a great trust, first committed to
Abraham, inclusive and typical of spiritual and eternal blessings; this, by divine
direction, he transmitted to Isaac. Isaac, being now old, and not knowing, or not

understanding, or not duly considering, the divine oracle concerning his two sons, that
the elder should serve the younger, resolves to entail all the honour and power that were
wrapped up in the promise upon Esau his eldest son. In this he was governed more by
natural affection, and the common method of settlements, than he ought to have been, if
he know (as it is probable he did) the intimations God had given of his mind in this
matter. Note, We are very apt to take our measures rather from our own reason than
from divine revelation, and thereby often miss our way; we think the wise and learned,
the mighty and noble, should inherit the promise; but God sees not as man sees. See
1Sa_16:6, 1Sa_16:7.
II. The directions he gave to Esau, pursuant to this design. He calls him to him,
Gen_27:1. For Esau, though married, had not yet removed; and, though he had greatly
grieved his parents by his marriage, yet they had not expelled him, but it seems were
pretty well reconciled to him, and made the best of it. Note, Parents that are justly
offended at their children yet must not be implacable towards them.
7. Jamison, “Gen_27:1-27. Infirmity of Isaac.
when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim — He was in his hundred thirty-
seventh year; and apprehending death to be near, Isaac prepared to make his last will -
an act of the gravest importance, especially as it included the conveyance through a
prophetic spirit of the patriarchal blessing.
8. K&D 1-4, “When Isaac had grown old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could no
longer see (‫ּת‬‫א‬ ְ‫ר‬ ֵ‫מ‬ from seeing, with the neg. ‫ן‬ ִ‫מ‬ as in Gen_16:2, etc.), he wished, in the
consciousness of approaching death, to give his blessing to his elder son. Isaac was then in his
137th year, at which age his half-brother Ishmael had died fourteen years before;
(Note: Cf. Lightfoot, opp. 1, p. 19. This correct estimate of Luther's is based upon the
following calculation: - When Joseph was introduced to Pharaoh he was thirty years old
(Gen_41:46), and when Jacob went into Egypt, thirty-nine, as the seven years of abundance
and two of famine had then passed by (Gen_45:6). But Jacob was at that time 130 years old
(Gen_47:9). Consequently Joseph was born before Jacob was ninety-one; and as his birth
took place in the fourteenth year of Jacob's sojourn in Mesopotamia (cf. Gen_30:25, and
Gen_29:18, Gen_29:21, and Gen_29:27), Jacob's flight to Laban occurred in the seventy-
seventh year of his own life, and the 137th of Isaac's.)
and this, with the increasing infirmities of age, may have suggested the thought of death,
though he did not die till forty-three years afterwards (Gen_35:28). Without regard to the words
which were spoken by God with reference to the children before their birth, and without taking
any notice of Esau's frivolous barter of his birthright and his ungodly connection with Canaanites,
Isaac maintained his preference for Esau, and directed him therefore to take his things (‫ים‬ ִ‫ל‬ ֵⅴ,
hunting gear), his quiver and bow, to hunt game and prepare a savoury dish, that he might eat,

and his soul might bless him. As his preference for Esau was fostered and strengthened by, if it
did not spring from, his liking for game (Gen_25:28), so now he wished to raise his spirits for
imparting the blessing by a dish of venison prepared to his taste. In this the infirmity of his flesh is
evident. At the same time, it was not merely because of his partiality for Esau, but unquestionably
on account of the natural rights of the first-born, that he wished to impart the blessing to him, just
as the desire to do this before his death arose from the consciousness of his patriarchal call.
9. JOH TRAPP, “Ver. 1. Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim.] Old age is of itself
a disease, and the sink of all diseases. This Solomon sweetly sets forth [Ecclesiastes
12:1-7] by a continued allegory, Ubi quot lumina imo flumina orationis exerit saith
one. In general, he calls it "the evil day, the years that have no pleasure in them." In
particular, the senses all fail; the hands tremble; the legs buckle; the teeth cannot do
their office, as being either lost or loosened; "the silver cord," that is, the marrow of
their backs, is consumed; "the golden ewer," that is, the brainpan, broke; "the
pitcher at the well," that is, the veins at the liver; "the wheel at the cistern," that is,
the head, which draws the power of life from the heart; all these worn weak, and
wanting to their office. So that sleep faileth; "desire faileth"; (a) neither spring nor
summer (signified by the almond tree and grasshopper) shall affect with pleasure;
"the daughters of music shall be brought low," as they were in old Barzillai; "the
sun, moon, and stars are darkened," for any delight they take in their sweet shine;
yea, "the clouds return after rain"; a continual succession of miseries, like April
weather, as one shower is unburdened, another is brewed, and the sky is still overcast
with clouds. Lo, such is old age. And is this a fit present for God? wilt thou give him
the dregs, the bottom, the very last sands, thy dotage, which thyself and friends are
weary of? "Offer it now to thy prince, will he be pleased with thee"? [Malachi 1:8]
The Circassians, a kind of mongrel Christians, as they baptize not their children till
the eighth year, so they enter not into the Church, the gentlemen specially, till the
sixtieth year, but hear divine service standing outside the temple; that is to any, till
through age they grow unable to continue their rapines and robberies, to which sin
that nation is exceedingly addicted: so dividing their time between sin and devotion;
dedicating their youth to rapine, and their old age to repentance. (b) But God will
not be so put off. He is "a great King," and stands upon his seniority. [Malachi 1:14]
In the Levitical law, there were three sorts of firstfruits:
1. Of the ears of corn, offered about the Passover;
2. Of the loaves, offered about Pentecost;
3. About the end of the year in Autumn.
Now of the first two God had a part, but not of the last: to teach us, that he will
accept of the services of our youth or middle-age: but for old age, vix aut ne vix
quidem . Besides Abraham in the Old Testament, and Nicodemus in the New, I

know not whether we read of any old man ever brought home to God.
10. HAWKER, "This Chapter contains the history of Jacob’s craftily obtaining the
blessing of the birth-right from his father Isaac, and thereby supplanting his brother
Esau: a circumstance, which unless read with a spiritual apprehension, will be to us, as it
is always to the carnal, a stumblingstone and rock of offence. In this Chapter the Holy
Ghost also relates the sad conduct of the Patriarch Isaac, who, notwithstanding the open
revelation God made to him before the birth of his two sons, Jacob and Esau, that the
elder should serve the younger, in direct defiance of this will of God, sought to entail the
covenant blessing on Esau. He gives directions to Esau! how to prepare for him venison,
in order to receive this blessing; Rebekah contrives by stratagem to obtain it for her son
Jacob: the success of Jacob, and the disappointment of Esau, are both related in this
Chapter. Esau determines to be revenged of Jacob: and Rebekah in order to prevent it,
contrives to send Jacob to her brother’s house by way of refuge.
Gen_27:1
I would earnestly beseech the Reader, before he enters upon the perusal of this chapter,
to consult very carefully the following scriptures: First, Gen_25:23. Here you see, that
the appointment of Jacob to the birth-right was of the Lord. Also do not forget this one
thing, that He, who thought proper to have this blessing given to Jacob, by a transfer,
might, had he pleased, have as easily given it by birth-right. Next consult Gen_25:32-34,
and compare with Heb_12:16-17. The construction which the Holy Ghost hath put on
Esau’s conduct, clearly proves what that conduct was. He poured contempt upon the
promised blessing of redemption; and how shall the soul that rejects that mercy, be
made the rich partaker of it! Thirdly, consult Mal_1:2-3. And if these scriptures need any
farther comment, let the Reader turn to Rom_9:7 to the end; and these are enough,
under the divine teaching, to explain this whole transaction.
11. CALVIN, "And it came to pass that when Isaac was old. In this chapter Moses
prosecutes, in many words, a history which does not appear to be of great utility. It
amounts to this; Esau having gone out, at his father’s command, to hunt; Jacob, in his
brother’s clothing, was, by the artifice of his mother, induced to obtain by stealth the
blessing due by the right of nature to the firstborn. It seems even like child’s play to
present to his father a kid instead of venison, to feign himself to be hairy by putting on
skins, and, under the name of his brother, to get the blessing by a lie. But in order to
learn that Moses does not in vain pause over this narrative as a most serious matter, we
must first observe, that when Jacob received the blessing from his father, this token
confirmed to him the oracle by which the Lord had preferred him to his brother. For the
benediction here spoken of was not a mere prayer but a legitimate sanction, divinely
interposed, to make manifest the grace of election. God had promised to the holy fathers
that he would be a God to their seed for ever. They, when at the point of death, in order
that the succession might be secured to their posterity, put them in possession, as if they
would deliver, from hand to hand, the favor which they had received from God. So
Abraham, in blessing his son Isaac, constituted him the heir of spiritual life with a
solemn rite. With the same design, Isaac now, being worn down with age, imagines
himself to be shortly about to depart this life, and wishes to bless his firstborn son, in
order that the everlasting covenant of God may remain in his own family. The Patriarchs
did not take this upon themselves rashly, or on their own private account, but were

public and divinely ordained witnesses. To this point belongs the declaration of the
Apostle, “the less is blessed of the better.” (Hebrews 7:7.) For even the faithful were
accustomed to bless each other by mutual offices of charity; but the Lord enjoined this
peculiar service upon the patriarchs, that they should transmit, as a deposit to posterity,
the covenant which he had struck with them, and which they kept during the whole
course of their life. The same command was afterwards given to the priests, as appears in
Numbers 6:24, and other similar places. Therefore Isaac, in blessing his son, sustained
another character than that of a father or of a private person, for he was a prophet and an
interpreter of God, who constituted his son an heir of the same grace which he had
received. Hence appears what I have already said, that Moses, in treating of this matter,
is not without reason thus prolix. But let us weigh each of the circumstances of the case
in its proper order; of which this is the first, that God transferred the blessing of Esau to
Jacob, by a mistake on the part of the father; whose eyes, Moses tells us, were dim. The
vision also of Jacob was dull when he blessed his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh;
yet his want of sight did not prevent him from cautiously placing his hands in a
transverse direction. But God suffered Isaac to be deceived, in order to show that it was
not by the will of man that Jacob was raised, contrary to the course of nature, to the right
and honor of primogeniture.
12. COKE, “Genesis 27:1. Was old, &c.— Bishop Kidder, from several passages of the history
laid together, proves, that Isaac was now one hundred and thirty-six or one hundred and thirty-
seven years old; when his faculties being much impaired, and apprehending the approach of death,
(though he lived forty years after,) he determined to "impart the solemn Abrahamic benediction" to
his eldest son Esau, in which channel most probably he conceived that it was to pass, though his
wife Rebekah knew to the contrary. Some have imagined, that as Isaac lived so many years
afterwards, he was hastened to this act of blessing his son by an indisposition which threatened his
death, and rendered more agreeable to his sickly appetite the favourite food procured by his son. As
there can be no question, that the imparting this benediction was a high religious act, and evidently
prophetic, (as in the case of Jacob also, see ch. Genesis 49:1.) it is very reasonable to conclude,
that something more than mere eating was intended; some religious ceremony, sacrifice, or feast;
an opinion, for which, in the course of the chapter, we may probably find some countenance.
13. BI, "Isaac was old and his eyes were dim
Isaac in the near prospect of death
I. HE HAS WARNINGS OF HIS APPROACHING END.
1. His advanced age.
2. Signs of weakness and decay.
II. HE SETS IN ORDER HIS WORLDLY AFFAIRS.
1. Duties prompted by the social affections.
2. Duties regarding the settlement of inheritance and property. (T. H.Leale.)
Isaac’s preparation for death
1. His longing for the performance of Esau’s filial kindness as for a last time.
(1) Esau was his favourite son; not on account of any similarity between them,

but just because they were dissimilar; the repose and contemplativeness and
inactivity of Isaac found a contrast in which it reposed in the energy and even the
restlessness of his firstborn.
(2) It was natural to yearn for the feast of his son’s affection for the last time, for
there is something peculiarly impressive in whatever is done for the last time.
2. Isaac prepared for death by making his last testamentary dispositions. They were
made, though apparently premature—
(1) Partly because of the frailty of life and the uncertainty whether there may be
any to-morrow for that which is put off to-day;
(2) Partly perhaps because he desired to have all earthly thoughts done with and
put away. When he came to die there would be no anxieties about the disposition
of property, to harass him. For it is good to have all such things done with before
that hour comes. Is there not something incongruous in the presence of a lawyer
in the death room, agitating the last hours? The first portion of our lives is spent
in learning the use of our senses and faculties, ascertaining where we are, and
what. The second in using those powers, and acting in the given sphere, the
motto being, “Work, the night cometh.” A third portion, between active life and
the grave, like the twilight between day and night (not light enough for working,
nor yet quite dark), nature seems to accord for unworldliness and meditation. It
is striking, doubtless, to see an old man, hale and vigorous to the last, dying at his
work, like a warrior in armour. But natural feeling makes us wish perhaps that an
interval might be given; a season for the statesman, such as that which Samuel
had on laying aside the cares of office in the schools of the prophets, such as
Simeon and Anna had for a life of devotion in the temple, such as the labourer
has when, his long day’s work done, he finds an asylum in the almshouse, such as
our Church desires when she prays against sudden death; a season of interval in
which to watch, and meditate, and wait. (F. W. Robertson, M. A.)
The blind father
Isaac.
1. Now very aged. One hundred and thirty-six years old. Feeble. Ought to have been
specially reverenced, both as a father and because so aged. Reverence due to old age.
What more beautiful than old age (Pro_15:31)? See the Word of God concerning old
age (Lev_19:32; 2Ch_36:17; Pro_20:29).
2. Helpless. Forced to sit in the house while his sons were actively employed.
Dependent on the kind offices of others.
3. Blind. And therefore should have been specially reverenced, and treated with most
respectful tenderness,
4. Felt his end approaching (Gen_27:4). Should therefore have been treated with the
greater consideration.
5. About to impart the covenant blessing. A most solemn act. To be given, and
received, in the fear of God.
6. Would signalize it with a feast. The last he might have; and his own beloved Esau
should prepare it. (J. C. Gray.)

The day of death unknown
I have read a parable of a man shut up in a fortress under sentence of perpetual
imprisonment, and obliged to draw water from a reservoir which he may not see, but
into which no fresh stream is ever to be poured. How much it contains he cannot tell. He
knows that the quantity is not great; it may be extremely small. He has already drawn
out a considerable supply during his long imprisonment. The diminution increases daily,
and how, it is asked, would he feel each time of drawing water and each time of drinking
it? Not as if he had a perennial stream to go to-”I have a reservoir; I may be at ease.” No:
“I had water yesterday, I have it to-day; but my having it yesterday and my having it to-
day is the very cause that I shall not have it on some day that is approaching.” Life is a
fortress; man is the prisoner within the gates. He draws his supply from a fountain fed by
invisible pipes, but the reservoir is being exhausted. We had life yesterday, we have it
today, the probability—the certainty—is that we shall not have it on some day that is to
come. (R. A.Wilmot.)
Isaac, the organ of Divine blessing
It is a strange and, in some respects, perplexing spectacle that is here presented to us—
the organ of the Divine blessing represented by a blind old man, laid on a “couch of
skins,” stimulated by meat and wine, and trying to cheat God by bestowing the family
blessing on the son of his own choice to the exclusion of the Divinely-appointed heir. Out
of such beginnings had God to educate a people worthy of Himself, and through such
hazards had He to guide the spiritual blessing He designed to convey to us all. Isaac laid
a net for his own feet. By his unrighteous and timorous haste he secured the defeat of his
own long-cherished scheme. It was his hasting to bless Esau which drove Rebekah to
checkmate him by winning the blessing for her favourite. The shock which Isaac felt
when Esau came in and the fraud was discovered is easily understood. The mortification
of the old man must have been extreme when he found that he had so completely taken
himself in. He was reclining in the satisfied reflection that for once he had overreached
his astute Rebekah and her astute son, and in the comfortable feeling that, at last, he had
accomplished his one remaining desire, when he learns from the exceeding bitter cry of
Esau that he has himself been duped. It was enough to rouse the anger of the mildest and
godliest of men, but Isaac does not storm and protest—“he trembles exceedingly.” He
recognises, by a spiritual insight quite unknown to Esau, that this is God’s hand, and
deliberately confirms, with his eyes open, what he had done in blindness: “I have blessed
him: Yea, and he shall be blessed.” Had he wished to deny the validity of the blessing, he
had ground enough for doing so. He had not really given it; it had been stolen from him.
An act must be judged by its intention, and he had been far from intending to bless
Jacob. Was he to consider himself bound by what he had done under a
misapprehension? He had given a Messing to one person under the impression that he
was a different person; must not the blessing go to him for whom it was designed? But
Isaac unhesitatingly yielded. This clear recognition of God’s hand in the matter, and
quick submission to Him, reveals a habit of reflection, and a spiritual thoughtfulness,
which are the good qualities in Isaac’s otherwise unsatisfactory character. Before he
finished his answer to Esau, he felt he was a poor feeble creature in the hand of a true
and just God, who had used even his infirmity and sin to forward righteous and gracious
ends. It was his sudden recognition of the frightful way in which he had been tampering

with God’s will, and of the grace with which God had prevented him from accomplishing
a wrong destination of the inheritance, that made Isaac tremble very exceedingly. In this
humble acceptance of the disappointment of his life’s love and hope, Isaac shows us the
manner in which we ought to bear the consequences of our wrong-doing. The
punishment of our sin often comes through the persons with whom we have to do,
unintentionally on their part, and yet we are tempted to hate them because they pain and
punish us, father, mother, wife, child, or whoever else. Isaac and Esau were alike
disappointed. Esau only saw the supplanter, and vowed to be revenged. Isaac saw God in
the matter, and trembled. So when Shimei cursed David, and his loyal retainers would
have cut off his head for so doing, David said: “Let him alone, and let him curse; it may
be that the Lord hath bidden him.” We can bear the pain inflicted on us by men when we
see that they are merely the instruments of a Divine chastisement. The persons who
thwart us and make our life bitter, the persons who stand between us and our dearest
hopes, the persons whom we are most disposed to speak angrily and bitterly to, are often
thorns planted in our path by God to keep us on the right way. (M. Dods, D. D.)
2
Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't
know the day of my death.
1. Isaac was the man of round numbers. He was married at 40, had a son at 60, and
died at 180.He was just like all of us, for none know the day of their death. Some feel
they have many years ahead, and they die the next day. Others, like Isaac, feel their
time is short, and then go on for another half of a lifetime. The unknown, however,
does motivate us to make plans, as it did Isaac.
2.In this chapter we see the results in part of a divided family. Isaac is about 137 years
old and acts like he will die very soon. He will live to be 180 (35:28). Some have
suggested that his impatience to give Esau the blessing suggests a carnal, premature
move. Isaac's getting old. The typical calculation of his age at this point is 137. Isaac's
brother Ishmael had died at that same age. So Isaac's thinking he's pretty close to death
himself
3. JOHN TRAPP, “Ver. 2. I am old, I know not the day of my death.] No more

doth any, though never so young. There be as many young skulls as old, in
Golgotha. But, young men, we say, may die; old men must die. To the old, death
is pro ianuis; to the young, in insidiis. Senex, quasi semi-nex. Old men have
pedem in cymba Charontis, one foot in the grave already. Our decrepit age both
expects death, and solicits it: it goes grovelling, as groaning for the grave.
Whence Terence (a) calls an old man Silicernium; and the Greeks γηροντα,
πασα το εις γην οραν, of looking toward the ground, whither he is tending; or, as
others will have it, of loving earth and earthly things; which old folk greedily grasp
at, because they fear they shall not have to suffice them while alive, and to bring
them honestly home, as they say, when they are dead; as Plutarch gives the
reason,
4. Clarke, “I know not the day of my death - From his present weakness he had
reason to suppose that his death could not be at any great distance, and therefore would
leave no act undone which he believed it his duty to perform. He who lives not in
reference to eternity, lives not at all.
5. Gill, “And he said, behold, now I am old,.... See Gill on Gen_27:1,
I know not the day of my death; how soon it will be; everyone knows he must die,
but the day and hour he knows not, neither young nor old; and though young men may
promise themselves many days and years, an old man cannot, but must or should live in
the constant expectation of death.
6. HAWKER, “Dying patriarchs always called their households round them. Gen_49:1;
Deu_33:1.
7. Calvin, “2.Behold, now I am old, I know not the day of my death. There is not
the least doubt that Isaac implored daily blessings on his sons all his life: this,
therefore, appears to have been an extraordinary kind of benediction. Moreover,
the declaration that he knew not the day of his death, is as much as if he had
said, that death was every moment pressing so closely upon him, a decrepit and
failing man, that he dared not promise himself any longer life. Just as a woman
with child when the time of parturition draws near, might say, that she had now

no day certain. Every one, even in the full vigor of age, carries with him a
thousand deaths. Death claims as its own the foetus in the mother’s womb, and
accompanies it through every stage of life. But as it urges the old more closely,
so they ought to place it more constantly before their eyes, and should pass as
pilgrims through the world, or as those who have already one foot in the grave. In
short, Isaac, as one near death, wishes to leave the Church surviving him in the
person of his son.
3
ow then, get your weapons--your quiver and
bow--and go out to the open country to hunt
some wild game for me.
1. Isaac was a real lover of wild game, and he was proud of his boy who could go out
and hunt it. He was a man’s man, and not like his other son Jacob who was a
mother’s boy. He appeals to men, and he was his father's favorite. It is strange to see
that Abraham favored Ishmael, and Isaac favors Esau. But God 's favor went to the
other sons, and here God favored Jacob. Favoritism is folly because choosing your
favorite child may be going against the choice of God. Leave the choice to God and
let him have his way with your children rather than try to manipulate things to give
one an advantage over the others.
2. Pink is drawing a radical conclusion about the hunter when he writes, "Only two
men in Scripture are specifically termed "hunters,’’ namely, imrod and Esau, and
they have much in common. The fact that Esau is thus linked together with imrod,
the rebel, reveals his true character." Being hunters does not link these two together
at all. This type of thinking puts Satan and our Savior together in that both are
connected with the lion. There is no basis for judging Esau as bad because of his
hunting skills. He is bad because of acts of evil and not because of his love of
hunting.

Why was it that Isaac desired to partake of venison from Esau before blessing him? Does
not Genesis 25:28 answer the question—"And Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his
venison." In view of this statement it would seem, then, that Isaac desired to enkindle or
intensify his affections for Esau, so that he might bless him with all his heart. But surely
Isaac’s eyes were "dim" spiritually as well as physically. Let us not forget that what we
read here at the beginning of Genesis 27 follows immediately after the record of Esau
marrying the two heathen wives. Thus it will be seen that Isaac’s wrong in being partial
to Esau was greatly aggravated by treating so lightly his son’s affront to the glory of
Jehovah—and all for a meal of venison! Alas, what a terrible thing is the flesh with its
"affections and lusts" even in a believer, yea, more terrible than in an unbeliever. But
worst of all, Isaac’s partiality toward Esau was a plain disregard of God’s word to
Rebekah that Esau should "serve" Jacob (Gen. 25:23). By comparing Hebrews 11:20 with
Romans 10:7 it is certain that Isaac had himself" heard" this.
3. Clarke, “Thy weapons - The original word ‫כלי‬ keley signifies vessels and
instruments of any kind; and is probably used here for a hunting spear, javelin, sword,
etc.
Quiver - ‫תלי‬ teli, from ‫תלה‬ talah, to hang or suspend. Had not the Septuagint
translated the word φαρετραν, and the Vulgate pharetram, a quiver, I should rather have
supposed some kind of shield was meant; but either can be suspended on the arm or
from the shoulder. Some think a sword is meant; and because the original signifies to
hang or suspend, hence they think is derived our word hanger, so called because it is
generally worn in a pendent posture; but the word hanger did not exist in our language
previously to the Crusades, and we have evidently derived it from the Persian khanjar, a
poniard or dagger, the use of which, not only in battles, but in private assassinations, was
well known.
4. Gill, “Now therefore, take, I pray thee, thy weapons,.... Or "thy vessels", or
"instruments" (n), his instruments of hunting: as
thy quiver and thy bow; the former is the vessel or instrument, in which arrows were
put and carried, and has its name in the Hebrew language from its being hung at the
girdle, though another word is more commonly used for a quiver; and Onkelos and
Jarchi interpret this of a sword; and which is not disapproved of by Aben Ezra and Ben
Melech, who explain it either a quiver or a sword; and the latter was as necessary for
hunting as the former, see Gen_27:40; and such a sword may be meant, as Mr. Fuller
observes (o), which we call a "hanger" (i.e. a small sword often worn by seamen); and of
the bow being an instrument of hunting, not anything need be said:
and go out to the field, and take me some venison; this does not necessarily
intend what we commonly call so, but anything hunted in the field, as hares, wild goats,
&c. and indeed the latter seems to be what Isaac loved, by the preparation Rebekah

afterwards made.
5. Strahan, "AFFECTION. Some minds are attracted to one another by
affinity, others by contrast. Isaac loved Esau, who was his
opposite ; and Rebekah loved Jacob, who was her image (25 28 ).
In spirit and manner of life Esau presented the most striking
unlikeness to his father. The one was at home in strenuous
action, the other in quiet meditation. Isaac was not more
gentle, placid, retiring than Esau was fierce, bold, intrepid.
Yet Isaac was irresistibly drawn to the hot, impulsive youth,
seeing in him all that he missed in himself. He listened with
delight to the huntsman s tales of adventure. The breathless
pursuit, the hazardous encounter, the hairbreadth escapes stirred
his imagination. He felt that his son s noble stature and restless
energy were prophetic of future greatness."
4
Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and
bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my
blessing before I die."
1. Esau could not only hunt it, he could cook it, and so was an all around man who
could do it all. That is why he was the favorite of Isaac. Isaac is greatly condemned
by many because of his favoritism toward Esau. He is considered to be defying
God's revealed will by doing so because back in Gen. 25:23 God revealed to
Rebekah that the older son would serve the younger. The problem is that we do not
know if Isaac knew of this message from God. You would assume that his wife
would tell him what God said to her, but we do not know if she did. We cannot
judge Isaac based on an assumption. Many do, however, and a common opinion
goes like this from an author who judges Isaac, "Isaac knew what God had said, but
here he is in a sneaky and secretive fashion trying to give the birthright to Esau. His
personal choice was Esau, but the previous choice, which was God’s choice, was
Jacob. What Isaac is doing is an act of disobedience."
2. Many will say he was sinning by trying to give Esau the blessing, for he was trying
to go around the will of God and get his will fulfilled instead. This is a radical
charge against this man of God's choosing, and God's Word does not support the

charge. All we read in the the book of Hebrews is this in 11:20, "By faith Isaac
blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future." Isaac is credited by God to have
acted in faith, and he blessed both of his sons and not just Jacob. He is not
condemned by God anywhere, and I see no reason why men should be allowed to
override God and make him sinful where God does not. So the man liked to eat! Let
him who is without sin throw the first stone. He was no rebel here trying to defy
God, but just showing love to a son with whom he had a special relationship. He
may have been on the wrong track, but God used his wife to get him to go the way
he should to do God's will. He was not fighting it, but just not as aware as his wife of
what God's will was. So if God is for him, who can be against him? I see preachers
finding sin all too frenquently in the lives of God's chosen when there is no basis for
it. There is all kinds of valid sin in the saints to use for messages, but it is not being
honest to find it where God does not.
3. Clarke, “Savory meat - ‫מטעמים‬ matammim, from ‫טעם‬ taam, to taste or relish; how
dressed we know not, but its name declares its nature.
That I may eat - The blessing which Isaac was to confer on his son was a species of
Divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate ceremonies. As eating and
drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially
in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose that something of this
kind was essentially necessary on this occasion, and that Isaac could not convey the right
till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the
blessing. As Isaac was now old, and in a feeble and languishing condition, it was
necessary that the flesh used on this occasion should be prepared so as to invite the
appetite, that a sufficiency of it might be taken to revive and recruit his drooping
strength, that he might be the better able to go through the whole of this ceremony.
This seems to be the sole reason why savory meat is so particularly mentioned in the
text. When we consider, 1. That no covenant was deemed binding unless the parties had
eaten together; 2. That to convey this blessing some rite of this kind was necessary; and,
3. That Isaac’s strength was now greatly exhausted, insomuch that he supposed himself
to be dying; we shall at once see why meat was required on this occasion, and why that
meat was to be prepared so as to deserve the epithet of savory.
As I believe this to be the true sense of the place, I do not trouble my readers with
interpretations which I suppose to be either exceptionable or false.
4. Gill, “And make me savoury meat, such as I love,.... For, though he had lost his
sight, he had not lost his taste, nor his appetite for savoury food:
and bring it to me, that I may eat; this, was enjoined to make trial of his filial
affection and duty to him, before he blessed him:
that my soul may bless thee before I die; not only that he might do it with
cheerfulness and vivacity, having eaten a comfortable meal, and being refreshed with it,

but that having had proof of his son's duty and affection to him, he might confer the
blessing on him heartily: this blessing was not an ordinary and common one, but what
parents used to bestow upon their children at the time of their death, or a little before it;
and good men oftentimes did this under a spirit of prophecy, declaring what would be
the case and circumstances of their children in time to come; and particularly the
principal part of the blessing of Isaac, which Abraham had entailed upon him by divine
direction, and he thought to have entailed on Esau his firstborn, was the promise of the
descent of the Messiah from him and his seed, and of the possession of the land of
Canaan by them: and this shows that Rebekah had not made known the oracle to Isaac,
that the "elder should serve the younger", Gen_25:23, or, if she had, he had forgot, or did
not understand it, and might think it respected not the persons of his sons, but their
posterity; or however, from a natural affection for Esau his firstborn, and that the
blessing and inheritance might go in the common channel, he was desirous he should
have it; and he might also be ignorant of Esau's having sold his birthright to Jacob, or
that he made no account of it.
5. Jamison, “make ... savory meat — perhaps to revive and strengthen him for the
duty; or rather, “as eating and drinking” were used on all religious occasions, he could
not convey the right, till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who
was to receive the blessing [Adam Clarke] (compare Gen_18:7).
that my soul may bless thee — It is difficult to imagine him ignorant of the divine
purpose (compare Gen_25:23). But natural affection, prevailing through age and
infirmity, prompted him to entail the honors and powers of the birthright on his elder
son; and perhaps he was not aware of what Esau had done (Gen_25:34).
6. Calvin, “That my soul may bless thee. Wonderfully was the faith of the holy
man blended with a foolish and inconsiderate carnal affection. The general
principle of faith flourishes in his mind, when, in blessing his son, he consigns to
him, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, the right of the inheritance which had
been divinely promised to himself. Meanwhile, he is blindly carried away by the
love of his firstborn son, to prefer him to the other; and in this way he contends
against the oracle of God. For he could not be ignorant of that which God had
pronounced before the children were born. If any one would excuse him,
inasmuch as he had received no command from God to change the accustomed
order of nature by preferring the younger to the elder; this is easily refuted:
because when he knew that the firstborn was rejected, he still persisted in his
excessive attachment. Again, in neglecting to inquire respecting his duty, when

he had been informed of the heavenly oracle by his wife, his indolence was by no
means excusable. For he was not altogether ignorant of his calling; therefore, his
obstinate attachment to his son was a kind of blindness, which proved a greater
obstacle to him than the external dimness of his eyes. Yet this fault, although
deserving of reprehension, did not deprive the holy man of the right of
pronouncing a blessing; but plenary authority remained with him, and the force
and efficacy of his testimony stood entire, just as if God himself had spoken from
heaven; to which subject I shall soon again allude.
7. The Lord's plan was that Jacob would get the birthright and the blessing. "But in
spite of all this - in spite of God's instruction concerning Jacob before he was born,
in spite of the plainly obvious superiority of Jacob's character and spiritual
discernment and convictions over those of Esau, in spite of Jacob's further
legalization of his claim to the patriarchal blessing through his purchase of the
birthright from Esau, confirmed by Esau's solemn oath, in spite of Esau's obvious
indifference to his spiritual heritage and to the will of God - in spite of all this, Isaac
nevertheless determined that he was going to give the blessing to Esau." (Morris)
Isaac is dealing dirty. He's made a plan to give the blessing to Esau in secret. "If
Esau had sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, Isaac was about to give away the
blessing for a mess of venison." (C.H.M.)
8. Chris Robinson
Now let me close with two inferences from our text. First, we have noted that Isaac
should have detested his son Esau, rather than doting on him. Esau, after all, made the
precious Lifeline of no effect. Does this mean that you should detest your son or daughter
—whether they be child or adult—if they reject the gospel today? By no means!
Especially if they have been baptized! You see, Isaac knew that Jacob was to be preferred
over Esau, because God had told Him so. Isaac knew that Jacob was on the Lifeline to
Christ, whereas Esau was a dead line. Isaac’s doting on Esau was in direct opposition to
God’s revealed will.
9. BILL BALDWIN
Isaac is also being devious, like Rebekah and Jacob
1. Normal situation: A man is ready to die. He calls all his sons before him
to bless them all, with special blessing going to the firstborn.
2. But Isaac intends to give the whole blessing to Esau and leave none for
Jacob.
3. So he does this on the sly, calling only Esau into his presence.
4. Thus, by deceitfulness, he sets up his own and Esau's downfall later in
the chapter. (How could Jacob have pulled off his stunt if Esau had been standing right

next to him?)
7. And Isaac is Defying God
1. God had said, "The older will serve the younger."
2. God had chosen Jacob, that the blessing of Abraham should come to
him.
3. How foolish is Isaac, to think he can thwart the plan of God?
4. How wicked is he to want to?
5. Oh children of God! It is good for us that Isaac should seem so foolish
and sinful!
1. See now the folly and sin of our own flesh when we would thwart
the plan of God.
2. How often are we frustrated by what his Providence brings!
3. How often do we treat God with suspicion as though he does not
desire our good?
4. How we fear his discipline and the trials he sends and would escape
them if we could!
5. How foolish! For God is powerful.
6. How wrong! For God is righteous.
10. Isaac was right in what he wanted to do, but wrong in both the timing and the
person. He wanted to give it to his favorite. We all need to exercise spiritual authority
and blessing, but we need to be careful how we do it. Doing the right thing the right way:
Example David was right in wanting to take the Ark safely and permanently housed in
Jerusalem, but wrong about putting it in a cart. Moses was right in wanting to help the
children of Israel but wrong in killing the Egyptian. Saul was right in wanting to consult
God about the upcoming battle on Mt. Gilboa but wrong in trying to get the answer
through a spirit channeler.
Isaac loved Esau, not because he was a Holy man, not because he pursued the pilgrim
way of God. Esau thought he was great hunter, provider and venison cook. It was carnal,
sensual, affection that motivated, and now controlled him. This is what motivated him to
bless the wrong man.(see verse 4). He thought spiritual blessing could be imparted in the
energy of the flesh. If you take a quick look at the chapter, "savoury meat " is mentioned
6 times, venison 7 times, and eating 8 times. Here is a man controlled by appitite. Over
20 references to carnal desires.
What is the Blessing?
Two weeks ago, we talked about what the birthright was - the right of the firstborn to take
precedence over his brothers - taking the authority of the father when he dies. The one
who had the birthright became the head of the house, and priest of the family. It also
entitled him to a double-portion of the estate at the father's death.

But what is the blessing? The blessing is a verbal conveying of God's covenant promises.
Whereas the birthright imparted material benefits from the father, the blessing imparted
spiritual benefits from the Lord.
Now I know of nothing mystical or magical about the blessing. It is ultimately up to the
Lord to accomplish it. In trying to give the blessing to Esau instead of Jacob, Isaac is
ignorantly trying to force God's hand. Many people today think that they can force the
hand of God to do as they will instead of as He wills. In doing so, they set themselves
above God - claiming to have a better plan, a better method, a better idea of what's going
on
5
ow Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his
son Esau. When Esau left for the open country
to hunt game and bring it back,
Eavesdropping had changed the course of history, for what she overheard led
her to interfere with what otherwise would have happened. Eavesdropping leads
to plotting.
1. Barnes, “Gen_27:5-13
Rebekah forms a plan for diverting the blessing from Esau to Jacob. She was within
hearing when the infirm Isaac gave his orders, and communicates the news to Jacob.
Rebekah has no scruples about primogeniture. Her feelings prompt her to take
measures, without waiting to consider whether they are justifiable or not, for securing to
Jacob that blessing which she has settled in her own mind to be destined for him. She
thinks it necessary to interfere that this end may not fail of being accomplished. Jacob
views the matter more coolly, and starts a difficulty. He may be found out to be a
deceiver, and bring his father’s curse upon him. Rebekah, anticipating no such issue;
undertakes to bear the curse that she conceived would never come. Only let him obey.
2. Clarke, “And Rebekah heard - And was determined, if possible, to frustrate the
design of Isaac, and procure the blessing for her favorite son. Some pretend that she
received a Divine inspiration to the purpose; but if she had she needed not to have
recourse to deceit, to help forward the accomplishment. Isaac, on being informed, would
have had too much piety not to prefer the will of his Maker to his own partiality for his
eldest son; but Rebekah had nothing of the kind to plead, and therefore had recourse to
the most exceptionable means to accomplish her ends.

3. Gill, “And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son,.... She might
hear Isaac call to him by one means or another, that he had sent for him, or might see
him go into his father's tent, and might stand at the door of it and listen to hear what he
said to him; though the Targum of Jonathan says, she heard by the Holy Spirit:
and Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it; as his father
directed and enjoined him; and thus it was ordered by divine Providence, that there
might be time and opportunity for Jacob to get the blessing before his broker
4. HAWKER, “Genesis 27:5-10
There is not a passage in scripture which needs more the enlightening influences of the
Holy Ghost to guide into all truth, than these verses. Various have been the opinions of
Commentators upon the transaction here recorded. Almost all, and indeed everyone
which I have seen, condemn the conduct of Jacob and his mother, passing by at the same
time all reproof upon Isaac. I confess it appears to me that Isaac was most faulty of the
whole. I venture to propose one or two thoughts upon the subject, and shall then leave
the matter to the Reader himself to form his own judgment, praying that God the Holy
Ghost may give him a right judgment in this, as well as all things.
The Lord had informed Rebecca, when she was with child, that she had twins in her
womb, and that two manner of people should be separated from her bowels; and that the
elder should serve the younger. Gen_25:21-23. Thus informed of God himself, how could
Isaac presume to counteract, or attempt to alter, the appointment of God? The method
Rebecca took to defeat the purpose of her blind husband was, no doubt, a deception; but
it seems to have very clearly originated from the sense she had of what God had said.
Perhaps it might have been better to have openly expostulated with Isaac, and have
pointed out to him the danger of despising the divine precept. But she feared probably
the success. And the object appeared to her important. Certain it is, that her conduct, as
well as Jacob’s, on this occasion is not spoken of, in this relation of it, as incurring the
divine displeasure. Neither do I find in any other part of scripture a passage to this
amount. But, as I said before, I do not presume to decide upon it. The Lord the Spirit be
the Reader’s Teacher!
5. CALVI , “And Rebekah heard. Moses now explains more fully the artifice by
which Jacob attained the blessing. It truly appears ridiculous, that an old man,
deceived by the cunning of his wife, should, through ignorance and error, have
given utterance to what was contrary to his wish. And surely the stratagem of
Rebekah was not without fault; for although she could not guide her husband by
salutary counsel, yet it was not a legitimate method of acting, to circumvent him by
such deceit. For, as a lie is in itself culpable, she sinned more grievously still in this,
that she desired to sport in a sacred matter with such wiles. She knew that the
decree by which Jacob had been elected and adopted was immutable; why then does
she not patiently wait till God shall confirm it in fact, and shall show that what he
had once pronounced from heaven is certain? Therefore, she darkens the celestial
oracle by her lie, and abolishes, as far as she was able, the grace promised to her
son. ow, if we consider farther, whence arose this great desire to bestir herself; her
extraordinary faith will on the other hand appear. For, as she did not hesitate to
provoke her husband against herself, to light up implacable enmity between the

brothers, to expose her beloved son Jacob to the danger of immediate death, and to
disturb the whole family; this certainly flowed from no other source than her faith.
(42) The inheritance promised by God was firmly fixed in her mind; she knew that
it was decreed to her son Jacob. And therefore, relying upon the covenant of God,
and keeping in mind the oracle received, she forgets the world. Thus, we see, that
her faith was mixed with an unjust and immoderate zeal. This is to be carefully
observed, in order that we may understand that a pure and distinct knowledge does
not always so illuminate the minds of the pious as to cause them to be governed, in
all their actions, by the Holy Spirit, but that the little light which shows them their
path is enveloped in various clouds of ignorance and error; so that while they hold a
right course, and are tending towards the goal, they yet occasionally slide. Finally,
both in Isaac and in his wife the principle of faith was preeminent. But each, by
ignorance in certain particulars, and by other faults, either diverged a little from the
way, or, at least, stumbled in the way. But seeing that, nevertheless, the election of
God stood firm; nay, that he even executed his design through the deceit of a
woman, he vindicates, in this manner, the whole praise of his benediction to his own
gratuitous goodness.
6. K&D 5-17, “Rebekah, who heard what he said, sought to frustrate this intention, and
to secure the blessing for her (favourite) son Jacob. Whilst Esau was away hunting, she
told Jacob to take his father a dish, which she would prepare from two kids according to
his taste; and, having introduced himself as Esau, to ask for the blessing “before
Jehovah.” Jacob's objection, that the father would know him by his smooth skin, and so,
instead of blessing him, might pronounce a curse upon him as a mocker, i.e., one who
was trifling with his blind father, she silenced by saying, that she would take the curse
upon herself. She evidently relied upon the word of promise, and thought that she ought
to do her part to secure its fulfilment by directing the father's blessing to Jacob; and to
this end she thought any means allowable. Consequently she was so assured of the
success of her stratagem as to have no fear of the possibility of a curse. Jacob then
acceded to her plan, and fetched the goats. Rebekah prepared them according to her
husband's taste; and having told Jacob to put on Esau's best clothes which were with her
in the dwelling (the tent, not the house), she covered his hands and the smooth (i.e., the
smoother parts) of his neck with the skins of the kids of the goats,
(Note: We must not think of our European goats, whose skins would be quite
unsuitable for any such deception. “It is the camel-goat of the East, whose black, silk-
like hair was used even by the Romans as a substitute for human hair. Martial xii.
46.” - Tuch on v. 16.)
and sent him with the savoury dish to his father.
7. JOH TRAPP, “Ver. 5. Esau went to the field to hunt, &c.] But before he
returned, the blessing was otherwise bestowed. "The hope of the hypocrite shall
perish". [Job 8:13] How many lie languishing at hope’s hospital, as he at the pool of
Bethesda, and no help comes! They repair to the creatures, as to a lottery, with
heads full of hopes, but return with hearts full of blanks. Or, if they draw nigh to
God, they think they take hold of him; but it is but as the child that catcheth at the
shadow or the wall, which he thinks he holds fast in his hand; but it vanisheth. The

common hope is ill bottomed. "Hope unfailable," [Romans 5:5] is founded upon
"faith unfeigned". [1 Timothy 1:5] Deo confisi nunquam confusi. He sneaketh
sweetest comfort "to the heart, in the wilderness". [Hosea 2:14]
8. John Phillips writes: "The great temptation for such women is to boss and bully
their husbands. As a result the women become increasingly masculine, and the man
becomes increasingl feminine. A truly strong woman will use her strenghth to
minister strenghth to her husband, not to rob him of whatever backbone he might
once of had. Rebekah's is the story of the unsurrendered wife." (Page 227). Phillps
goes on and comments that Rebekah may have surrendered all respect and Isaac
forfeited all right to Rebekah's respect down in Gerar. What a pity she never knew
her mother-in-law who could have taught her a few things about submission, even in
the face of that awful experience.
Rebekah is determined to outsmart her husband. Besides she has "scripture on her
side". It is amazing how we can justify our deceit. The question really is; "Does God
really need our clever little schemes?" God could have chased off the venison for a
hundred miles in every direction. He could have spoken to Isaac in such a clear and
compelling way, that he dared not disobey.
Here we have the sorry spectacle of a wife deceiving her husband, and the wife all
the while thinking she has no other choice. She would pay for it in the end. Before
the day is over her son will be fleeing for his life. God does not let us get away with
our sin. "For a few days" she consoled herself. But those days would turn to months
and years. 20 years, she never saw her boy again. She died before he ever came
back. It could very well be that Jacob was not spoken. Surely the way of the
transgressor is hard.
9. RAY PRITCHARDRAY PRITCHARDRAY PRITCHARDRAY PRITCHARD Portrait of a Dysfunctional Family
Genesis 27
Although it is not a new word, most of us never heard the term "dysfunctional" until
a few years ago. In the last decade, however, "dysfunctional" has become one of the
buzz-words of this mixed-up generation. The dictionary defines the noun dysfunction
as "the disordered or impaired functioning of a bodily system or organ." In laymen's
terms that means your body doesn't work the way it is supposed to.
But that's not exactly how the word is used today. Most often we hear
"dysfunctional" applied to human relationships—we hear of dysfunctional families
and dysfunctional marriages, for example. In both cases, dysfunctional describes
intimate human relationships that don't work the way they are supposed to work.
Go to your favorite secular or Christian bookstore and you will find dozens of books
with the word "dysfunc-tional" in the title:

—"Secrets of a Dysfunctional Family"
—"Healing a Dysfunctional Marriage"
—"Overcoming Your Dysfunctional Childhood"
—"Dysfunctional Relationships—Where They Come From, How to Change Them"
Our particular focus in this study is on dysfunctional families. Here's a working
definition: A dysfunctional family is one in which there has been a major breakdown
in the basic relationships within the family so that the family itself no longer
functions properly.
There's no such thing as a perfect family—never has been and never will be as
long as sin is part of the human condition. Sin distorts everything we do and say
—it colors life so that no marriage, no family, no parent-child relationship is truly
perfect.
Dysfunctional Families Aren't New Having said that, it's not surprising that
when we turn to the pages of Holy Scripture, we don't have to look very far to
find dysfunctional family relationships:
1. Consider the very first family—Adam and Eve who blamed each other for their
own disobedience.
2. Consider their children—Cain murdered his brother Abel.
3. Consider Noah's three sons—Ham disgraced his father by uncovering his
nakedness.
4. Consider Abraham and Sarah—He lied about his wife, calling her his sister. His
nephew Lot turned out to be a major disappointment.
5. Consider David—Although he was a great king, a great warrior, and a great
poet, as a father and husband he was a failure. His marriage to Michal was
largely a failure, his marriage to Bathsheba was based on an adulterous affair,
and his son Absalom turned against him. As his kingdom crumbled, so did his
family.
Three Generations of Family Dysfunction If you want another example,
consider the family of Jacob and Esau. Let's start two generations before with
Abraham and Sarah. The dysfunction begins when Sarah is unable to conceive so
Abraham sleeps with Hagar, Sarah's maidservant. When Abraham goes in to
Hagar, a son is created whose name is Ishmael. The resulting relationship causes
so much strain between Sarah and Hagar that Hagar runs away. At length Hagar
returns, gives birth to Ishmael, and a tenuous peace is restored until Sarah gives
birth to Isaac, at which point Abraham in response to Sarah's complaints sends
Hagar and Ishmael away for good. What's going on here? Not only do Sarah and
Hagar not get along, neither do Ishmael and Isaac get along.
We pass now to the second generation. Isaac marries Rebekah and after 20
years, she gives birth to Jacob and Esau. But the boys are very different, and
Isaac prefers Esau while Rebekah loves Jacob. This family favoritism is not
hidden to the two boys, who become rivals, not allies. While sibling rivalry is a
fact of life—even in the best of families—in dysfunctional families the rivalry
becomes the defining fact of family life. That's what happens with Jacob and
Esau. Because of their vastly different personalities, and because of parental
favoritism, they are destined to be rivals (and sometimes bitter enemies) as long
as they live.
No One Looks Good When we come to Genesis 27, the three generations of
family dysfunction are about to come to a fearful climax. Those patterns of

unhealthy relationships ultimately will destroy Jacob's own family. What you see
at the beginning of this chapter is a family that, while not working very well, at
least is staying together. By the end of the chapter the family has been blown
apart once and for all.
10. Rev. Bruce Goettsche, "The one thing you don't have to teach in school is
the art of making excuses. I'm not sure when we first master this skill but it
seems like it is early in life. Have you heard the "Psychiatric Folk Song" by Anna
Russell?
I went to my psychiatrist to be psychoanalyzed
To find out why I killed the cat and blacked my husband's eye.
He laid me on a downy couch to see what he could find,
And here's what he dredged up, from my subconscious mind.
When I was one, my mummy hid my dolly in a trunk
And so it follows, naturally, that I am always drunk.
When I was two, I saw my father kiss the maid one day,
and that is why I suffer from kleptomania.
At three I had a feeling of ambivalence towards my brothers
and so it follows naturally I poisoned all my lovers.
but I am happy now I have learned the lessons this has taught:
Everything I do that's wrong, is someone else's fault!
It's tongue in cheek but the point is made. We seem to have an excuse for
everything. One of the most famous excuses of all is really a philosophy: "the end
justifies the means". It's proclaimed in various forms:
1. nobody was hurt
2. everything turned out O.K.
3. we made a profit
4. we got elected
In our text this morning we see an illustration of what happens when we
function by the principle that the end justifies the means. But let me caution
you here . . . it is easy to sit on our "high horse" and look down at Isaac,
Rebekah, Jacob and Esau. We must be careful because we are more like
them than we like to think. We read a very human story here.
11. COFFMAN, “Esau is consistently called "his son," and Jacob is called "my son" by Rebekah.
Although Isaac evidently thought he might die soon, he lived, in fact, some forty more years
afterward. The temporary blindness (?) and disability that came upon him could very well have been
providential as a means of frustrating his evil purpose.
The skill of Rebekah who could prepare little goats to taste like venison has often been mentioned,
but this should be understood in the light of Isaac's state of health and debilitation.
"I shall seem to him as a deceiver ..." Jacob did not object to the deception they planned, but only
to the possibility of detection.
"Upon me be thy curse ..." Along with the rash prayer of Rachel (Genesis 30:1), this impromptu

prayer of Rebekah was a disaster, for she did indeed that day suffer the loss of her beloved Jacob
and never saw him anymore. "Little did she realize that her death would come before he could
return. Indeed the curse did fall upon her."[11]
"The skins of the kids of the goats ..." "These were the Oriental camel-goats, whose wool is
black, silky, and of a fine texture, sometimes used as a substitute for human hair."[12]
This bold and unscrupulous plan of deception was executed with skill and efficiency. It succeeded
because of its very daring.
"The goodly garments of Esau ... which were with her in the house ..." This should probably not
be read as indicating that Esau and his two pagan wives were living in the same house with Isaac
and Rebekah. If that was the case, it might indicate that this chapter is related out of chronological
sequence, which after all, is not unusual. However, perhaps Morris was correct in the view that:
"The goodly garments might have been special garments associated with the priestly function of the
head of the house. If so, it would appear that Rebekah had kept these in her own house for this
purpose."[13]
If that was the case, it should be noted that Esau had gone hunting in them, hence the smell
mentioned by Isaac, and such disrespect for the sacred garments would have been thoroughly in
keeping with Esau's character.
12. COKE, “Genesis 27:5-6, &c. And Rebekah, &c.— Rebekah, acquainted with the Divine will
concerning the channel in which the grand promise was to pass, resolved to do her part towards
preventing the ill effects of Isaac's partial fondness for an eldest son, who had already indicated so
unworthy a disposition. To which end she incites her son Jacob to an act of deceit, endeavouring to
absolve him from all guilt or blame, if he consent: Upon me be thy curse, my son, Genesis 27:13.;
as much as to say, I will warrant thee success, and will readily bear all the evil, if any happen.
REFLECTIONS.—Infirmities of age were come upon Isaac; and therefore, as his time was likely to
be short, he resolves,
1. To bestow on Esau, as first-born, the blessing of the promised land andSEED ; perhaps, not
understanding the prophecy, or not attending to it through natural affection and the rights of
primogeniture.Note; Man proposes, but God disposes.
2. He communicates his resolution to Esau, who was still it seems his favourite, though he had
displeased him byMARRIAGE ; and bids him shew one instance of his affection in procuring him
some venison, that he might eat, and bless him before he died. Note; (1.) Though children marry
imprudently, parents must not be inflexible in their resentments. (2.) When we grow old, it is time to
think of dying. (3.) All worldly concerns should be dispatched before that time: it is then work
enough to die.
But Rebekah overhearing the conversation between Isaac and Esau, resolves immediately to put
Jacob in his place, a thing, in many respects, utterly unjustifiable. Had she pleaded with Isaac the
Divine command,SIMPLICITY had probably prevailed, and Jacob, without a cheat, had got the
blessing: yea, it must have prevailed, because the truth and promise of God were pledged. But now
she contrives the plot, and will have Jacob execute it.
6
Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard
your father say to your brother Esau,

1. Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, overhears this and she’s furious. She’s furious that Isaac is
choosing Esau, his favorite son, over Jacob, her favorite son. So she comes up with this
scheme.
2, PINK, "How like Sarah before her, who, in a similar "evil hour" imagined that she
could give effect to the Divine promise by fleshly expediencies (Gen. 16:2). As another
has suggested "they both acted on that God dishonoring proverb that ‘The Lord helps
those who help themselves,’" whereas the truth is, the Lord helps those who have come to
the end of themselves. If Rebekah really had confidence in the Divine promise she might
well have followed tranquilly the path of duty, assured that in due time God would
Himself bring His word to pass."
3. Gill, “And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son,.... Who was in the tent with her,
and for whom she had the strongest affection:
saying, behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother; heard the
conversation that passed between them, and particularly what Isaac had given in charge
to Esau:
4. Henry 6-17, “Rebekah is here contriving to procure for Jacob the blessing which was
designed for Esau; and here,
I. The end was good, for she was directed in this intention by the oracle of God, by
which she had been governed in dispensing her affections. God had said it should be so,
that the elder should serve the younger; and therefore Rebekah resolves it shall be so,
and cannot bear to see her husband designing to thwart the oracle of God. But,
II. The means were bad, and no way justifiable. If it was not a wrong to Esau to deprive
him of the blessing (he himself having forfeited it by selling the birthright), yet it was a
wrong to Isaac, taking advantage of his infirmity, to impose upon him; it was a wrong to
Jacob too, whom she taught to deceive, by putting a lie into his mouth, or at least by
putting one into his right hand. It would likewise expose him to endless scruples about
the blessing, if he should obtain it thus fraudulently, whether it would stand him or his in
any stead, especially if his father should revoke it, upon the discovery of the cheat, and
plead, as he might, that it was nulled by an error personae - a mistake of the person. He
himself also was aware of the danger, lest (Gen_27:12), if he should miss of the blessing,
as he might probably have done, he should bring upon himself his father's curse, which
he dreaded above any thing; besides, he laid himself open to that divine curse which is
pronounced upon him that causeth the blind to wander out of the way, Deu_27:18. If
Rebekah, when she heard Isaac promise the blessing to Esau, had gone, at his return
from hunting, to Isaac, and, with humility and seriousness, put him in remembrance of
that which God had said concerning their sons, - if she further had shown him how Esau
had forfeited the blessing both by selling his birthright and by marrying strange wives, it
is probable that Isaac would have been prevailed upon knowingly and wittingly to confer
the blessing upon Jacob, and needed not thus to have been cheated into it. This would
have been honourable and laudable, and would have looked well in the history; but God
left her to herself, to take this indirect course, that he might have the glory of bringing

good out of evil, and of serving his own purposes by the sins and follies of men, and that
we might have the satisfaction of knowing that, though there is so much wickedness and
deceit in the world, God governs it according to his will, to his own praise. See
Job_12:16, With him are strength and wisdom, the deceived and the deceiver are his.
Isaac had lost the sense of seeing, which, in this case, could not have been imposed upon,
Providence having so admirably well ordered the difference of features that no two faces
are exactly alike: conversation and commerce could scarcely be maintained if there were
not such a variety. Therefore she endeavours to deceive, 1. His sense of tasting, by
dressing some choice pieces of kid, seasoning them, serving them up, so as to make him
believe they were venison: this it was no hard matter to do. See the folly of those that are
nice and curious in their appetite, and take a pride in humouring it. It is easy to impose
upon them with that which they pretend to despise and dislike, so little perhaps does it
differ from that to which they give a decided preference. Solomon tells us that dainties
are deceitful meat; for it is possible for us to be deceived by them in more ways than one,
Pro_23:32. 2. His sense of feeling and smelling. She put Esau's clothes upon Jacob, his
best clothes, which, it might be supposed, Esau would put on, in token of joy and respect
to his father, when he was to receive the blessing. Isaac knew these, by the stuff, shape,
and smell, to be Esau's. If we would obtain a blessing from our heavenly Father, we must
come for it in the garments of our elder brother, clothed with his righteousness, who is
the first-born among many brethren. Lest the smoothness and softness of Jacob's hands
and neck should betray him, she covered them, and probably part of his face, with the
skins of the kids that were newly killed, Gen_27:16. Esau was rough indeed when
nothing less than these would serve to make Jacob like him. Those that affect to seem
rough and rugged in their carriage put the beast upon the man, and really shame
themselves, by thus disguising themselves. And, lastly, it was a very rash word which
Rebekah spoke, when Jacob objected the danger of a curse: Upon me be thy curse, my
son, Gen_27:13. Christ indeed, who is mighty to save, because mighty to bear, has said,
Upon me be the curse, only obey my voice; he has borne the burden of the curse, the
curse of the law, for all those that will take upon them the yoke of the command, the
command of the gospel. But it is too daring for any creature to say, Upon me be the
curse, unless it be that curse causeless which we are sure shall not come, Pro_26:2.
5. Jamison 6-10, “Rebekah spake unto Jacob — She prized the blessing as
invaluable; she knew that God intended it for the younger son [Gen_25:23]; and in her
anxiety to secure its being conferred on the right object - on one who cared for religion -
she acted in the sincerity of faith; but in crooked policy - with unenlightened zeal; on the
false principle that the end would sanctify the means.
6. BI 6-10, Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats;
and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth
Rebekah’s cunning plot in favour of Jacob
I. THE HUMAN ELEMENT IN IT.
1. The partiality of a fond mother.
2. Ambition.
II. THE RELIGIOUS ELEMENT IN IT.

Genesis 27 commentary

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Genesis 27 commentary