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27,299 commentary entries
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:15
And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau,—literally, the robes of Esau her son the elder—the desirable, i.e. the handsome ones. The בֶּגֶד was an outer garment worn by the Oriental (Genesis 39:12, Genesis…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:15-29
The stolen blessing: a domestic drama.-2. Isaac and Jacob, or the successful stratagem. I. JACOB'S DECEPTION OF ISAAC. Jacob's impersonation of Esau was— 1. Deftly prepared. The ingenious Rebekah, having dressed him in…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:16
And she put the skins of the kids of the goats—not European, but Oriental camel-goats, whose wool is black, silky, of a much finer texture than that of the former, and sometimes used as a substitute for human hair (cf.…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:17
And she gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob—who forthwith proceeded on his unholy errand.
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:18
And he came unto his father,—by this time a bed-ridden invalid (vide Genesis 27:19)—and said, My father. If he attempted to imitate the voice of Esau, he was manifestly unsuccessful; the dull ear of the aged patient was…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:19
And Jacob (either not observing or not regarding the trepidation which his voice caned, but being well schooled by his crafty mother, and determined to go through with what perhaps he esteemed a perfectly justifiable tr…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:24-26
And he said (showing that a feeling of uneasy suspicion yet lingered in his mind), Art thou my very son Esau? Luther wonders how Jacob was able to brazen it out; adding, "I should probably have run away in terror, and l…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:27
And he came near, and kissed him. Originally the act of kissing had a symbolical character. Here it is a sign of affection between a parent and a child; in Genesis 29:13 between relatives. It was also a token of friends…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:28
Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven,—literally, and the Elohim will give thee, with an optative sense; i.e. and may the—Elohim give thee! The occurrence of הָאֱלֹהִים in what is usually assigned to the Jehovist…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:29
Let people serve thee (literally, and will serve thee, peoples; at once a prayer and a prophecy; fulfilled in the political subjection of the Moabites, Ammonites, Syrians, Philistines, and Edomites by David; the thought…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:30-40
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:30
And it came to pass (literally, and it was), as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out—literally, and it was (sc. as soon as, or when) Jacob only going forth had gone; i.e. ha…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:30-40
The stolen blessing: a domestic drama.-3. Isaac and Esau, or the hunter's lamentation. I. Isaac's STARTLING DISCOVERY. 1. Unexpectedly made. The return of Esau from the hunting-field with a dish of venison was a sudden…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:31
And he also had made savory meat (vide Genesis 27:4), and brought it unto his father, and said unto him, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison—compared with Jacob's exhortation to his aged parent (Genesis 27…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:32
And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? The language indicates the patriarch's surprise. And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. The emphatic tone of Esau's answer may have been dictated by a suspicion,…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:33
Jacob's deceit, Esau supplanted. In this familiar narrative the following points may be distinguished:— I. ISAAC'S ERROR—connecting a solemn blessing with mere gratification of the senses, neglect of the Divine word, fa…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:33
And Isaac trembled very exceedingly,—literally, feared a great fear, to a great degree; shuddered in great terror above measure (Lange). The renderings ἐξέστη δὲ Ἰσαάκ ἔκστασιν μεγάλην σφόδρα (LXX.), Expavit st…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:34
And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry—literally, he cried a cry, great and bitter exceedingly; expressive of the poignant anguish of his soul (Kalisch, Bush), if not…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:35
And he (i.e. Isaac) said, Thy brother came with subtlety,—with wisdom (Onkelos); rather with fraud, μετά δόλου (LXX.)—and hath taken away thy blessing—i.e. the blessing which I thought was thine, since Isaac now under…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:36
Unfaithfulness in believers. "Is not he rightly named Jacob?" Jacob, Israel—how widely different the thoughts suggested by the two names. Both tell of success. But one is the man of craft, who takes by the heel to trip…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:36
And he (Esau) said, Is he not rightly named Jacob?—literally, is it that one has called ha name Jacob? הֲכִיְ being employed when the reason is unknown. On the meaning of Jacob cf. Genesis 25:26—for (literally, and) he…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:37
And Isaac answered and said unto Esau (repeating the substance of the Messing already conferred on Jacob), Behold, I have made him thy lord,—literally, behold, a lord (vide on Genesis 27:29) have I constituted him to th…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:38
And ESAU said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Not as desiring either the reversal of the patriarchal sentence upon Jacob, which he appears to have understood to be irrevocable, or an extension of…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 27:39
And Isaac his father (moved by the tearful earnestness of Esau) answered and said unto him,—still speaking under inspiration, though it is doubtful whether what he spoke was a real, or only an apparent, blessing—(vide i…