1 Isaac sends Esau for venison.
6 Rebekah instructs Jacob to obtain the blessing.
14 Jacob, feigning to be Esau, obtains it.
30 Esau brings venison.
33 Isaac trembles.
34 Esau complains, and by importunity obtains a blessing.
41 He threatens Jacob's life.
42 Rebekah disappoints him, by sending Jacob away.

A.M. 2244. B.C. 1760.
dim. 48:10 1Sa 3:2 Ec 12:3 Joh 9:3

eldest son. 25:23-25

2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

I know not. 48:21 1Sa 20:3 Pr 27:1 Ec 9:10 Isa 38:1,3 Mr 13:35 Jas 4:14

3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

take, I. 10:9 25:27,28

take me. Heb. hunt. 25:27,28 1Co 6:12

4 And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

that I may eat. The blessing, says Dr. A. Clarke, which Isaac was to confer on his son, was a species of divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate ceremonies. As eating and drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose, that something of this kind was essentially necessary on this occasion; and that Isaac could not convey the right, till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing.

that my. 7,23,25,27 14:19 24:60 28:3 48:9,15-20 49:28 Le 9:22,23 De 33:1 *etc: Jos 14:13 22:6 Lu 2:34 24:51 Heb 11:20

5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

7 Bring me venison, and make me savory meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.

before the. De 33:1 Jos 6:26 1Sa 24:19

8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

13 25:23 Ac 4:19 5:29 Eph 6:1

9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savory meat for thy father, such as he loveth:

two. Jud 13:15 1Sa 16:20

savoury. Matammim, from taam, to taste or relish: how dressed is uncertain, but its name declares it nature.

4

10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

hairy man. 25:25

12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

feel. 22 Job 12:16 2Co 6:8

a deceiver. 36 25:27 1Th 5:22

and I shall. 9:25 De 27:18 Jer 48:10 Mal 1:14

13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

Upon. 25:23,33 43:9 1Sa 14:24-28,36-45 25:24 2Sa 14:9 Mt 27:25

14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved.

mother. 4,7,9,17,31 25:28 Ps 141:4 Pr 23:2,3 Lu 21:34

15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

goodly raiment. Heb. desirable. 27 The Septuagint translates it 'a goodly robe,' which was a long garment that great men used to wear, (Lu. 20:46; 15:22.) The priest afterwards in the law had 'holy garments' to minister in, (Ex. 28:2-4.) Whether the first-born before the law had such to minister in is not certain: for, had they been common garments, why did not Esau himself or his wives keep them? But being, in likelihood, holy robes, received from their ancestors, the mother of the family kept them in sweet chests, from moths and the like; whereupon it is said, (ver. 27,) 'Isaac smelled the smell of his garments.'

16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

skins. Travellers inform us, that the Eastern goats have long, fine, and beautiful hair, of the most delicate silky softness; indeed the animals generally in those hot countries are not covered with so thick a coat of hair as they are in more northerly regions; so that Isaac might easily be deceived, when his eyes were dim, and his feeling no less impaired than his sight.

16

17 And she gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

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

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.

I am. 21,24,25 25:25 29:23-25 1Ki 13:18 14:2 Isa 28:15 Zec 13:3,4 Mt 26:70-74

that thy. 4

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.

Because. Ex 20:7 Job 13:7

to me. Heb. before me.

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.

Come. Ps 73:28 Isa 57:19 Jas 4:8

may feel. 12

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.

The voice. How wonderful, says Mr. Scott, is that difference which there is betwixt the faces and the voices of the several individuals of the human species! Scarcely any two of the innumerable millions are exactly alike in either, and yet the difference cannot be defined or described! The power, wisdom, and kindness of our Creator should be admired and adored in this remarkable circumstance; for they are very visible. This description of Jacob is not unaptly accommodated to the character of a hypocrite: his voice, his language, is that of a Christian; his hands, or conduct, that of an ungodly man: but the judgment will proceed from God, the Judge of all, at the last day, as in the present case, not by the voice, but by the hands.

22

23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

his hands. 16

he blessed. Ro 9:11,12 Heb 11:20

24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

I am. 1Sa 21:2,13 27:10 2Sa 14:5 Job 13:7,8 15:5 Pr 12:19,22 30:8 Zec 8:16 Ro 3:7,8 Eph 4:25 Col 3:9

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.

that my. 4

26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:

blessed. Heb 11:20

the smell of a field. A field where aromatic plants, flowers, fruits, and spices grew in abundance, with which these garments (see ver. 15) of Esau might probably have been perfumed by being laid up with them.

So 2:13 4:11-14 7:12,13 Ho 14:6,7

which. 26:12 Heb 6:7

28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

of the dew. De 11:11,12 32:2 33:13,28 2Sa 1:21 1Ki 17:1 Ps 65:9-13 133:3 Isa 45:8 Jer 14:22 Ho 14:5-7 Mic 5:7 Heb 11:20

the fatness. 39 45:18 49:20 Nu 13:20 Ps 36:8 Ro 11:17

plenty. De 7:13 8:7-9 33:28 Jos 5:6 1Ki 5:11 2Ch 2:10 Ps 65:9,13 Ps 104:15 Joe 2:19 Zec 9:17

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.

Let people. 9:25,26 22:17,18 49:8-10 2Sa 8:1-18 10:1-19 1Ki 4:21 Ps 2:6-9 Ps 72:8 Isa 9:7 Da 2:44,45 Re 19:16

be lord. 37 25:22,23,33 2Sa 8:14 1Ki 11:15,16 22:47 1Ch 5:2 2Ch 25:11-14 Ps 60:1-12 *title Isa 63:1-6 Mal 1:2-5 Ro 9:12

cursed. 12:3 Nu 22:11,12 23:8 24:9 Zep 2:8,9 Mt 25:40,45

30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 And he also had made savory meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.

eat. 4

32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

trembled very exceedingly. Heb trembled with a great trembling greatly. Job 21:6 37:1 Ps 55:5

taken. Heb. hunted. thou camest. 25

yea. 28:3,4 Joh 10:10,28,29 Ro 5:20,21 11:29 Eph 1:3 Heb 11:20

34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

he cried. 1Sa 30:4 Pr 1:24-28,31 19:3 Lu 13:24-28 Heb 12:17

35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

19-23 2Ki 10:19 Job 13:7 Mal 2:10 Ro 3:7,8 2Co 4:7 1Th 4:6

36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

Jacob. i.e., a supplanter. 25:26,31-34 32:28 Joh 1:47

he took. 25:26,33,34

37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

I have. 29 25:23 2Sa 8:14 Ro 9:10-12

with. 28

sustained. or, supported.

38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

34,36 49:28 Pr 1:24-26 Isa 32:10-12 65:14 Heb 12:17

39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

Behold. 36:6-8 Jos 24:4 Heb 11:20

the fatness. or, of the fatness. 28 It is here foretold, says Bp. Newton, that as to temporal advantages, the two brothers should be much alike. (See ver. 28.) Esau had cattle, beasts, and substance in abundance, and he went to dwell in Mount Seir of his own accord. When the Israelites desired leave to pass through the territories of Edom, the country abounded with fruitful fields and vineyards. (Nu. 20:17.)

40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

thy sword. 32:6 Mt 10:34

serve. 25:23 2Sa 8:14 1Ki 11:15-17 2Ki 14:7,10 1Ch 18:11-13 2Ch 25:11,12 Ps 60:8 Ob 1:17-21

that thou. 2Ki 8:20-22 2Ch 21:8,10 28:17

41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

hated. 4:2-8 37:4,8 Eze 25:12-15 35:5 Am 1:11,12 Ob 1:10-14 1Jo 3:12-15

The days. Ge 35:29 50:3,4,10,11 De 34:8 2Ch 35:24 Ps 35:14

then. 32:6 2Sa 13:28,29 Ps 37:12,13,16 140:4,5 142:3 Pr 1:12,13,16 Pr 6:14 Ec 7:9 Ob 1:10 Eph 4:26,27 Tit 1:15,16 3:3 1Jo 3:12-15

42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

comfort himself. 37:18-20 42:21,22 1Sa 30:5 Job 20:12-14 Ps 64:5 Pr 2:14 Pr 4:16,17

43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

obey. 8,13 28:7 Pr 30:17 Jer 35:14 Ac 5:29

Haran. 11:31 12:4,5 28:10

44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;

a few days. 31:38

45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

then I. Pr 19:21 La 3:37 Jas 4:13-15

why. 4:8-16 9:5,6 2Sa 14:6,7 Ac 28:4

46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

I am. Nu 11:15 1Ki 19:4 Job 3:20-22 7:16 14:13 Jon 4:3,9

because. 26:34,35 28:8 34:1,2

if Jacob. 24:3