Genesis 27:30-46

The Stolen Blessing

30 Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly * gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 Then he also made savory food, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, "¹Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that ²you may bless me."

32 Isaac his father said to him, "³Who are you?" And he said, "I am your son, ⁴your firstborn, Esau."

33 Then Isaac trembled violently * * *, and said, "⁵Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? ⁶Yes, and he shall be blessed."

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, ⁷he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father!"

35 And he said, "⁸Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing."

36 Then he said, "Is he not rightly named * ⁹Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing." And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"

37 But Isaac replied to Esau, "Behold, I have made him ¹⁰your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?"

38 Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father." So Esau lifted his voice and ¹¹wept.

39 Then ¹²Isaac his father answered and said to him, "Behold, ¹³away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above.

40 "By your sword you shall live, And your brother ¹⁴you shall serve; But it shall come about ¹⁵when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck."

41 So Esau ¹⁶bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, "¹⁷The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

42 Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, "Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you.

43 "Now therefore, my son, ¹⁸obey my voice, and arise, flee to ¹⁹Haran, to my brother ²⁰Laban!

44 "Stay with him ²¹a few days, until * your brother's fury subsides,

45 until your brother's anger against you subsides and he forgets ²²what you did to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"

46 Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am tired of living because * of ²³the daughters of Heth; ²⁴if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?"

Genesis 27:30-46 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 27

In this chapter we are informed, that Isaac, being old and dim sighted, sent for Esau to get him venison, that he might eat of it, and bless him before he died, Ge 27:1-4; that Rebekah hearing of this formed a scheme for Jacob to get the blessing before him, which she communicated to Jacob, to which he at first objected, but afterwards complied, Ge 27:5-17; and also how that he succeeded in the attempt, and got the blessing from his brother, Ge 27:18-29; and that this was confirmed to him by his father, even when his mistake was discovered upon Esau's coming, Ge 27:30-33; which occasioned a most bitter cry in Esau, a severe reflection on his brother, and an earnest expostulation with his father for a blessing, which he obtained, Ge 27:34-40; the consequence of this were hatred in Esau to Jacob, and an intention to kill him, which Rebekah hearing of, advised Jacob to flee to her brother Laban, Ge 27:41-45; and to facilitate this, complains to Isaac of Esau's wives, and suggests, that should Jacob marry among the same people, it would add to the distress of their lives; and therefore hints it to him, that it was necessary and proper he should go to her family for a wife, Ge 27:46; and whether Isaac sent him, as the following chapter shows.

Cross References

• 1. Genesis 27:19
• 2. Genesis 27:4
• 3. Genesis 27:18
• 4. Genesis 25:33, 34
• 5. Genesis 27:35
• 6. Genesis 25:23; Genesis 28:3, 4; Numbers 23:20
• 7. Hebrews 12:17
• 8. Genesis 27:19
• 9. Gen 25:26, 32-34
• 10. Genesis 27:28, 29
• 11. Hebrews 12:17
• 12. Hebrews 11:20
• 13. Genesis 27:28; Deuteronomy 33:13, 28
• 14. Genesis 25:23; Genesis 27:29
• 15. 2 Kings 8:20-22
• 16. Genesis 32:3-11; Genesis 37:4, 8
• 17. Gen 50:2-4, 10
• 18. Genesis 27:8, 13
• 19. Genesis 11:31
• 20. Genesis 24:29
• 21. Genesis 31:41
• 22. Gen 27:12, 19, 35
• 23. Genesis 26:34, 35; Genesis 28:8
• 24. Genesis 24:3

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "your soul"
• [b]. Lit "trembled with a very great trembling"
• [c]. Or "Was he then named Jacob that he has"
• [d]. Lit "brothers"
• [e]. Lit "for"
• [f]. Or "of"
• [g]. Lit "fatness"
• [h]. Or "of"
• [i]. Lit "tear off"
• [j]. Lit "in his heart"
• [k]. Lit "flee for yourself"
• [l]. Lit "turns away"
• [m]. Lit "turns away from you"
• [n]. Lit "my life"