1 And it came to pass when Isaac had become old, and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, that he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, My son! And he said to him, Here am I. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am become old; I know not the day of my death. 3 And now, I pray thee, take thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field and hunt me venison, 4 and prepare me a savoury dish such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, in order that my soul may bless thee before I die. 5 And Rebecca heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt venison, to bring it. 6 And Rebecca spoke to Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak to Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and prepare me a savoury dish, that I may eat, and bless thee before Jehovah, before my death. 8 And now, my son, hearken to my voice in that which I command thee. 9 Go, I pray thee, to the flock, and fetch me thence two good kids of the goats. And I will make of them a savoury dish for thy father, such as he loves. 10 And thou shalt bring [it] to thy father, that he may eat, in order that he may bless thee before his death. 11 And Jacob said to Rebecca his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 My father perhaps will feel me, and I shall be in his sight as one who mocks [him], and I shall bring a curse on me, and not a blessing. 13 And his mother said to him, On me [be] thy curse, my son! Only hearken to my voice, and go, fetch [them]. 14 And he went, and fetched and brought [them] to his mother. And his mother prepared a savoury dish such as his father loved. 15 And Rebecca took the clothes of her elder son Esau, the costly ones which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son; 16 and she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck; 17 and she gave the savoury dishes and the bread that she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob. 18 And he came to his father, and said, My father! And he said, Here am I: who art thou, my son? 19 And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau, thy firstborn. I have done according as thou didst say to me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, in order that thy soul may bless me. 20 And Isaac said to his son, How is it that thou hast found [it] so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy God put [it] in my way. 21 And Isaac said to Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be really my son Esau or not. 22 And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23 And he did not discern him, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands; and he blessed him. 24 And he said, Art thou really my son Esau? And he said, It is I. 25 And he said, Bring [it] near to me, that I may eat of my son's venison, in order that my soul may bless thee. And he brought [it] near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 And his father Isaac said to him, Come near, now, and kiss me, my son. 27 And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelt the smell of his clothes, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed. 28 And God give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of corn and new wine. 29 Let peoples serve thee, And races bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be they that curse thee, And blessed be they that bless thee. 30 And it came to pass when Isaac had ended blessing Jacob, and when Jacob was only just gone out from Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came from his hunting. 31 And he also had prepared savoury dishes, and he brought [them] in to his father, and said to his father, Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison, in order that thy soul may bless me. 32 And Isaac his father said to him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau. 33 Then Isaac trembled with exceeding great trembling, and said, Who was he, then, that hunted venison and brought [it] to me? And I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him; also blessed he shall be. 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said to his father, Bless me — me also, my father! 35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and has taken away thy blessing. 36 And he said, Is it not therefore he was named Jacob, for he has supplanted me now twice? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37 And Isaac answered and said to Esau, Behold, I have made him lord over thee, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants, and with corn and new wine have I supplied him — and what can I do now for thee, my son? 38 And Esau said to his father, Hast thou then but one blessing, my father? bless me — me also, my father! And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39 And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above; 40 And by thy sword shalt thou live; And thou shalt serve thy brother; And it shall come to pass when thou rovest about, That thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. 41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand, and I will slay my brother Jacob. 42 And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebecca. And she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, comforts himself that he will kill thee. 43 And now, my son, hearken to my voice, and arise, flee to Laban my brother, to Haran; 44 and abide with him some days, until thy brother's fury turn away — 45 until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget what thou hast done to him; then I will send and fetch thee thence. Why should I be bereaved even of you both in one day? 46 And Rebecca 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, of the daughters of the land, what good should my life do me?
Genesis 27 Darby Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Esau
Isaac's elder son, who traded his birthright for a bowl of stew.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–27; 36
Isaac
The long-promised son, nearly offered on Moriah, through whom the covenant continued.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 21–27
Jacob
He wrestled with God through the night and rose as Israel, father of twelve tribes.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–35; 46–49
Rebekah
Wife of Isaac and mother of the twins Jacob and Esau.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 24-27
Cross references (38)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Samuel 3:2; Genesis 48:10; Genesis 25:23–25; Ecclesiastes 12:3; John 9:3
- 2 James 4:14; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Mark 13:35; Proverbs 27:1; Genesis 48:21
- 3 Genesis 25:27–28; Genesis 10:9; 1 Corinthians 6:12
- 4 Hebrews 11:20; Genesis 48:9; Genesis 49:28; Genesis 27:25; Luke 24:51
- 6 Genesis 25:28
- 7 Joshua 6:26; Deuteronomy 33:1; 1 Samuel 24:19
- 8 Ephesians 6:1; Genesis 27:13; Acts 5:29; Genesis 25:23; Genesis 27:43
- 9 Judges 13:15; 1 Samuel 16:20
- 11 Genesis 25:25
- 12 Deuteronomy 27:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 2 Corinthians 6:8; Job 12:16; Malachi 1:14
- 13 Matthew 27:25; 1 Samuel 25:24; 2 Samuel 14:9; Genesis 25:33; 1 Samuel 14:36–45
- 14 Luke 21:34; Genesis 27:9; Genesis 27:17; Proverbs 23:2–3; Genesis 25:28
- 15 Genesis 27:27; Luke 20:46; Luke 15:22
- 19 Matthew 26:70–74; Isaiah 28:15; Zechariah 13:3–4; Genesis 27:24–25; Genesis 27:21
- 20 Exodus 20:7; Job 13:7; Genesis 24:12
- 21 Isaiah 57:19; James 4:8; Genesis 27:12; Psalm 73:28
- 23 Hebrews 11:20; Genesis 27:16; Romans 9:11–12
- 24 Colossians 3:9; Proverbs 12:22; Ephesians 4:25; Job 13:7–8; 1 Samuel 21:2
- 25 Genesis 27:4
- 27 Hebrews 6:7; Psalm 65:10; Hebrews 11:20; Genesis 26:12; Hosea 14:6–7
- 28 Deuteronomy 33:28; Deuteronomy 33:13; Psalm 133:3; Hosea 14:5–7; Psalm 65:9–13
- 29 Numbers 24:9; Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 49:23; Genesis 9:25–26; Romans 9:12
- 31 Genesis 27:4
- 32 Genesis 27:18
- 33 Genesis 28:3–4; Romans 11:29; Job 21:6; Ephesians 1:3; Job 37:1
- 34 Hebrews 12:17; Proverbs 1:31; 1 Samuel 30:4; Proverbs 19:3; Luke 13:24–28
- 35 1 Thessalonians 4:6; Job 13:7; Malachi 2:10; 2 Kings 10:19; Romans 3:7–8
- 36 Genesis 25:26; Genesis 25:31–34; Genesis 32:28; John 1:47
- 37 Genesis 27:28–29; Genesis 25:23; 2 Samuel 8:14; Romans 9:10–12
- 38 Hebrews 12:17; Genesis 27:34; Isaiah 65:14; Genesis 27:36; Proverbs 1:24–26
- 39 Genesis 27:28; Hebrews 11:20; Joshua 24:4; Genesis 36:6–8
- 40 Genesis 25:23; 2 Kings 8:20–22; 2 Samuel 8:14; 2 Chronicles 25:11–12; 2 Chronicles 21:10
- 41 1 John 3:12–15; Genesis 37:4; Genesis 50:3–4; Ephesians 4:26–27; Genesis 32:6
- 42 1 Samuel 30:5; Psalm 64:5; Proverbs 4:16–17; Proverbs 2:14; Genesis 42:21–22
- 43 Genesis 11:31; Genesis 27:8; Genesis 27:13; Genesis 24:29; Proverbs 30:17
- 44 Genesis 31:38; Genesis 31:41
- 45 Proverbs 19:21; Genesis 27:35; Genesis 4:8–16; Lamentations 3:37; Acts 28:4
- 46 Genesis 26:34–35; Genesis 24:3; Genesis 28:8; Genesis 34:1–2; Job 14:13
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Through envy, also, our father Jacob fled from the face of Esau his brother. Envy made Joseph be persecuted unto death, and to come into bondage.
The blessing of Isaac with which he blessed his younger son Jacob has the same meaning, when he says, "Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a full field which the Lord has blessed." But "the field is the world." And therefore he added, "God give to thee of the dew of heaven, and of the …
… the fruitfulness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: let nations serve thee, and princes adore thee: and be lord of thy brethren, and let thy father's sons adore thee: cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee." The blessing of Jacob is therefore a proclamation of Christ to all nations.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
"Who then," he says, "hath hunted me venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him, and he shall be blessed?" Who would not rather have expected the curse of an angry man here, if these things had been done in an earthly manner, and not by inspiration from above?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)