Genèse 27:40

40 Et tu vivras de ton épée, et tu serviras ton frère; mais il arrivera, comme tu seras errant, que tu briseras son joug de dessus ton cou.

Genèse 27:40 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 27:40

And by thy sword shalt thou live
By what he could get by it; his land being so poor that he could not live upon it, but must be obliged to such methods for a livelihood; or his country being surrounded with enemies, his posterity would be obliged to defend themselves by the sword, and other weapons of war: and shalt serve thy brother;
which is the sense and language of the oracle, ( Genesis 25:23 ) ; and which Isaac perhaps now remembered, and had a clear understanding of it, and delivers out his prophetic blessing agreeably to it: and it shall come to pass, when thou shalt have the dominion;
not over the Israelites, the posterity of Jacob, which the Edomites, Esau's posterity, never had; but when they should get a greater degree of strength, power, authority, and dominion in the world: that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck;
the Edomites should revolt from the posterity of Jacob, and shake off the yoke of bondage and subjection they had been long under; as they did in the times of Joram, king of Judah, and set up a king of their own, and continued in such a state of freedom a long time, see ( 2 Kings 8:20-22 ) .

Genèse 27:40 In-Context

38 Et Ésaü dit à son père: N'as-tu que cette bénédiction, mon père? bénis-moi, moi aussi, mon père! Et Ésaü éleva la voix, et pleura.

39 Et Isaac son père répondit, et lui dit: Voici, ta demeure sera de la graisse de la terre, de la rosée des cieux d'en haut.

40 Et tu vivras de ton épée, et tu serviras ton frère; mais il arrivera, comme tu seras errant, que tu briseras son joug de dessus ton cou.

41 Et Ésaü prit Jacob en aversion à cause de la bénédiction que son père lui avait donnée; et Ésaü dit en son cœur: Les jours du deuil de mon père approchent; et je tuerai Jacob, mon frère.

42 Et l'on rapporta à Rébecca les paroles d'Ésaü, son fils aîné; et elle envoya appeler Jacob, son second fils, et lui dit: Voici, Ésaü ton frère va se venger de toi en te tuant.