Genesis 27:19

19 And Jacob said, I am Esau, your oldest son; I have done as you said: come now, be seated and take of my meat, so that you may give me a blessing.

Genesis 27:19 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 27:19

And Jacob said unto his father, I [am] Esau thy firstborn,
&c.] Had he only said that he was his firstborn, he might have been excused from lying, because he had bought the birthright of Esau; but when he says, I am Esau, he can by no means be excused; for to say he impersonated Esau will not do; besides, he afterwards says he was his very son Esau, ( Genesis 27:24 ) : I have done according as thou badest me;
which is another lie; for Isaac had not bid him bring him any venison, nor go into the field for it, and take it and dress it for him; nor indeed had Jacob done either of these: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison;
or "hunting" F21, what he had hunted; another untruth, for it was not venison he brought him, nor anything that was hunted by him: by this it seems that Isaac lay upon a bed or couch through infirmity, and therefore is bid to arise and put himself in a proper posture for eating, which in those times and countries was usually sitting: that thy soul may bless me;
as this was the thing in view, so speaking of it as soon as he came in, and which he desired might be done after his father had eat and drank, might serve to take off the suspicion of his being another person; since this was what Isaac himself proposed to Esau to do; and this he said when there were none else present.


FOOTNOTES:

F21 (ydyum) "de venatione mea", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius

Genesis 27:19 In-Context

17 And she gave into the hand of Jacob, her son, the meat and the bread which she had made ready.
18 And he came to his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I: who are you, my son?
19 And Jacob said, I am Esau, your oldest son; I have done as you said: come now, be seated and take of my meat, so that you may give me a blessing.
20 And Isaac said, How is it that you have got it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord your God made it come my way.
21 And Isaac said, Come near so that I may put my hand on you, my son, and see if you are truly my son Esau or not.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.