Old Testament Commentary - Genesis 27

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 27 Rebekah guides Jacob in seeking blessings—Jacob is blessed to have dominion and rule over peoples and nations—Esau hates Jacob and plans to slay him—Rebekah fears lest Jacob marry one of the daughters of Heth.
1 AND it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were ^adim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: 3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy ^aquiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and ^btake me some venison; 4 And make me ^asavoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.		1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8
5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau^a his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. 6 ¶ And ^aRebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.	5^a Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau Rebekah was well aware of the situation, that Jacob had already obtained the birthright of the descend of the priesthood through which the Messiah would descend, that birth-right. And she well understood that the 'birthright' and the blessing of the 'firstborn' went together. Isaac had the personal intention of dividing it by blessing Esau with the blessing of the 'firstborn son' of the double portion of inheritance and the blessing of being the ruler and head of the multitude of nations and through whom the nations would be blessed. It was not the 'double inheritance' of earthly goods that concerned Rebekah and Jacob, but the spiritual and eternal portion of the blessing that could not be divided of blessing of being the father of the nations of earth and through whom the blessings would come. Therefore Rebekah's and Jacob's intend was honorable and correct. Remember it was Rebekah who had received that same blessing of the nations from her father before she married Isaac. the earth	1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8
9 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: 10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.		1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a ^ahairy man, and I am a smooth man: 12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. 13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: 16 And she put the ^askins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 ¶ And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? 19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. 20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. 22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. 24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. 27 And he came ^anear, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and ^bblessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the ^adew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29 Let people ^aserve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons ^bbow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and ^cblessed be he that ^dblesseth thee.
30 ¶ And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. 33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath ^ataken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have ^bblessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. 34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. 36 And he said, Is not he rightly named ^aJacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my ^bbirthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for ^aservants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and ^awept. 39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; 40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy ^abrother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt ^bbreak his ^cyoke from off thy neck.
41 ¶ And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. 42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, ^aflee thou to Laban my ^bbrother to ^cHaran; 44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; 45 Until thy brother's ^aanger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the ^adaughters of Heth^a: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?	46^a I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth Certainly the contention and controversy over Jacob and Esau weight upon the relationship of Rebekah and Isaac. And Esau marrying the daughter of Heth was only a part of her weight she carried. It would have been made clear that since Esau married and had children of the 'forbidden' race concerning the descent of the priesthood, that Jacob was only to whom they could look to fulfill the promises and blessings. Rebekah's request that Jacob be made to marry correctly was therefore adhered to by Isaac. And Jacob would be sent to marry of the family of Rebekah.