Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Genesis 27:18 - 27:29

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Genesis 27:18 - 27:29


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

Isaac Blesses Jacob

v. 18. And he came unto his father, and said, My father; and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?


v. 19. And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau, thy first-born; I have done according as thou badest me; arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
Jacob here became guilty of his mother's deceit in deed as well as in words and intent, for he was not Esau, nor was the meat which he was bringing venison. So far as he was concerned, he was trying to obtain his father's blessing under false pretenses.

v. 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.
Upon Isaac's surprised question: How is this? Thou wast quick to find;—Jacob piously refers the supposed luck of his chase to a special blessing of the Lord.

v. 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.
Isaac's surprise changes into suspicion at the sound of Jacob's voice and at the indefinite answer which was so unlike Esau's blunt manner. But it was here that Rebekah's stratagem proved its worth.

v. 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.
Isaac was much nearer being convinced, but his suspicions were not yet allayed altogether.

v. 23. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.
Isaac did not know and recognize Jacob for the person who he really was, the hairiness of his wrists making him inclined to think him Esau, so he made ready to bless him, the act being anticipated by the author.

v. 24. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
This bold answer settled the doubts of Isaac to such an extent that he was ready for the meal.

v. 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.
Thus Jacob gained his first step.

v. 26. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
It was the kiss of the father which was to introduce the blessing.

v. 27. And he came near, and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his raiment
which the strategy of Rebekah had placed on him, since their odor was that of the fields and of the chase; and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed. Isaac's blessing consisted of inspired utterances looking into the future and transmitting the special blessing of the Lord to Jacob.

v. 28. Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine.
These were temporal gifts, of great importance in the country which Jacob and his children were to possess. The quantity of the dew, especially during the dry season, determined the fruitfulness of the land. The fat, productive fields of the earth were to be his, the result being a rich yield of grain and new wine.

v. 29. Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee; cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
This part of the blessing describes the position of influence and power which the descendants of Jacob were to occupy. Not only over his brethren, over the people of his own race, including the children of his brother, he was to be lord, but also over strange people and nations. The idea of a world dominion is thus brought out, culminating in the promise that men would be judged according to their attitude toward him and his descendants. Thus the blessing looks forward to the Messiah, the touchstone of the ages, for to this day the right answer to the question: What think ye of Christ? decides the fate of every person in the world.