Genesis 27:5

ESV Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,
NIV Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back,
NASB Now Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home,
CSB Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac said to his son Esau. So while Esau went to the field to hunt some game to bring in,
NLT But Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game,
KJV And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

What does Genesis 27:5 mean?

In the previous verses, Isaac, now quite old and blind, had summoned Esau to his side. He explained his intent to pass his fatherly blessing on to Esau. First though, Isaac asked Esau to go hunt for fresh game and prepare him a meal (Genesis 27:1–4). This skill with obtaining meat was given earlier in Scripture as the reason Isaac favored Esau (Genesis 25:28). Jacob, the second of the twin sons, was instead favored by his mother, Rebekah.

Rebekah overhears this exchange between Isaac and Esau. Was she intentionally spying on Isaac? It's not clear, but a pattern of deception and manipulation has been established among the various members of the family. Jacob had bamboozled his older brother into selling his birthright at some point in the past (Genesis 25:29–34). Isaac appears to be trying to pass on the blessing to Esau without either Rebekah or Jacob finding out first—perhaps partly because he knows about Esau's foolish oath. Clued in to Isaac's plan, Rebekah and Jacob will launch into a scheme of their own.
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