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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.
Matthew Henry on Genesis 27:18-29
Jacob, with some difficulty, gained his point, and got the blessing. This blessing is in very general terms. No mention is made of the distinguishing mercies in the covenant with Abraham. This might be owing to Isaac ha…
The Fraud of Jacob. (b. c. 1760.)
THE FRAUD OF JACOB. (B. C. 1760.) Observe here, I. The art and assurance with which Jacob managed this intrigue. Who would have thought that this plain man could have played his part so well in a design of this nature?…
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…
Matthew Henry on Genesis 27:30-40
When Esau understood that Jacob had got the blessing, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry. The day is coming, when those that now make light of the blessings of the covenant, and sell their title to spiritual…
The Blessing Pronounced on Jacob and Esau. (b. c. 1760.)
THE BLESSING PRONOUNCED ON JACOB AND ESAU. (B. C. 1760.) Here is, I. The covenant-blessing denied to Esau. He that made so light of the birthright would now have inherited the blessing, but he was rejected, and found no…
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
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 27:33
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 27:34
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
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 27:36
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 27:37
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…