What does Genesis 27 mean?
Chapter Commentary:
By the end of Genesis 27, Isaac will have handed the family blessing down to his second-born, Jacob. This should seem unusual, since Esau is technically oldest and is entitled to that inheritance. At the start of the chapter, though, Isaac has no intention of doing so. Instead, Isaac sets out to confer the blessing on Esau, the firstborn of the two twins. Isaac is old and blind. He believes himself to be near the end of his life. The time has come to pass the blessing on (Genesis 27:1–4).

When the day comes, Isaac tells Esau to go out into the field to hunt fresh game and to prepare for him a delicious meal. When Esau returns, Isaac will eat the meal and give to Esau the blessing. Esau agrees, which is a far cry from his earlier attitude—an oath, given to Jacob, in a moment of recklessness, to sell his birthright (Genesis 25:29–34).

Isaac's wife Rebekah overhears the exchange between Isaac and Esau (Genesis 27:5). She loves Jacob more than Esau (Genesis 25:28), and she wants him to receive this critical blessing. Before the twins were even born, Rebekah received an oracle from the Lord prophesying that the younger would one day rule over the older (Genesis 25:23). Rebekah decides to step in to help that prophecy along. As was the case with Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, trying to "help" God's plans usually backfires (Genesis 16:1–5; 21:9–12).

Rebekah compels Jacob to participate in a scheme to deceive Isaac into giving him the blessing by pretending to be Esau. She will prepare the meal Isaac is expecting from Esau. She will dress Jacob in Esau's clothes to make him smell like his brother. She will cover his smooth hands, arms, and neck with goat's skin to make him feel to the touch like hairy Esau. This is an elaborate, very deliberate act of deceit.

Jacob offers one objection about the plan: What if his father catches on and curses him instead of giving him the blessing? It's worth noting that Jacob's concern here is not about whether or not this action is moral; rather, his concern is only about what will happen if he is caught in the lie. Rebekah assures Jacob the curse will fall to her if that happens. She commands him to obey and do what she says. Jacob agrees (Genesis 27:6–13).

When Jacob goes to his blind father with the meal, it seems the plan is doomed from the start. Isaac knows it's too soon for Esau to have returned, and the voice of this man claiming to be Esau sounds like Jacob. Jacob is forced to lie outright to Isaac insisting that he is Esau. This statement—deception about his identity—is something God will turn on Jacob later in his life (Genesis 29:21–26; 32:24–28). Isaac is finally convinced by Jacob's disguised hairy hands and the smell of the fields on his clothes (Genesis 27:14–25).

As the son of Abraham and receiver of the promises of God, Isaac's prayer of blessing carries the weight of certainty. Isaac knows God will bring his blessing to pass. He prays for great wealth in grain and in the fat of the land. He also prays for the one before him to be lord over his brothers and other nations. Finally, Isaac passes on the promise that all who bless or curse this one will receive the same in return (Genesis 27:26–29).

Moments after Jacob leaves with these blessings from Isaac, Esau returns with his own meal. Shocked and shaking with anger, Isaac realizes he has been duped by Jacob. Still, he says the blessing will stand. Jacob will be blessed (Genesis 27:30–35).

Esau is distraught. He recalls the time Jacob "cheated" him out of the birthright for a bowl of stew and mocks the meaning of Jacob's name. Ya'aqob literally means "heel grabber" or "usurper." In more casual understanding, the name can be understood as "he lies," or "cheater." This is a somewhat ironic moment, since Esau's oath to sell the birthright should have meant allowing Jacob to take the blessing in the first place. Esau begs his father for some kind of blessing of his own (Genesis 27:36–38).

That blessing, though, reads more like a curse. Esau and his descendants will be wanderers, living away from moisture and the fat of the land. They will live by the sword and only at some point in the future break free from the rule of his brother (Genesis 27:39–40). The sad end of this family strife, lived out through the nations of Israel and Edom, is summarized in the book of Obadiah.

Esau, heartbroken and bitter, falls into a dark rage, committing himself to murder Jacob after Isaac dies. Rebekah learns of his plan and urges Jacob to obey her once more by running away to live with her brother Laban in Mesopotamia. She then urges Isaac to send Jacob away to find a wife from among her own people (Genesis 27:41–46). Her punishment for this fraud is not small; so far as we can tell from Scripture, Rebekah will never see Jacob again (Genesis 35:27; 49:31).
Verse Context:
Genesis 27:1–29 describes how the Abrahamic family blessing came to second-born Jacob, instead of his firstborn brother, Esau. Isaac intends to give the blessing to his favored son, Esau. Rebekah commands Jacob to impersonate Esau, instead, in order to get the blessing for himself. Isaac almost catches on but is convinced by the smell of Esau on Jacob's borrowed clothes, and the hairy, Esau-like goat's skin on Jacob's hands. Isaac gives to Jacob the future-defining blessing of God.
Genesis 27:30–46 describes the aftermath of Jacob's deception of Isaac in order to receive the family blessing. Once Esau arrives and Isaac realizes he has given the blessing to the wrong son, his body begins to tremble in panic. Esau, deeply distraught, cries out in loud and bitter agony. Isaac gives to Esau a leftover blessing that reads like a curse. Esau pledges to kill Jacob once their father has died. Learning of this, Rebekah urges Jacob to run away to live with her brother in Mesopotamia.
Chapter Summary:
Isaac's plan to pass the family blessing on to his favorite son, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac's wife Rebekah, and his other son Jacob. Old and blind, Isaac fails to recognize that the man claiming to be Esau is actually Jacob in a clever disguise. His prayer of blessing for wealth and rule over his brothers will remain valid though it is given under false pretense. Esau will be left with a blessing that sounds like a curse and a plan to murder his brother. Jacob will be forced to run for his life.
Chapter Context:
Prior chapters described the prosperity of Isaac, living in the Valley of Gerar. Genesis 27 leaps forward to near the end of Isaac's life. The time has come to pass on the family blessing. Isaac's intention to give that blessing to firstborn, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac's wife Rebekah and his other son Jacob. Isaac overcomes his suspicions that the man before him is not Esau and delivers the very blessing of God on Jacob. Esau is left with a near-curse and a murderous rage. Rebekah urges Jacob to go to her brother's household, a plan Isaac will endorse in the following chapter. There, he will ironically experience the sting of deception in his own life.
Book Summary:
The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.
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