1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Here am I. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death. 3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison; 4 and make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. 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 savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: 10 and thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so 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. 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. 13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. 14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 15 And Rebekah took the goodly raiment of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: 16 and she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 17 and she gave the savoury 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 firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. 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 sent me good speed. 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. 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. 23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. 24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. 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. 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: 28 And God give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of corn and wine: 29 Let peoples 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 every one that blesseth thee. 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 made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father; and he said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. 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 then 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. 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. 35 And he said, Thy brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing. 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? 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 then shall I do for thee, my son? 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. 39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling, 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 shalt break loose, That thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck. 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. 42 And the 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. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; 44 and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away; 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 bereaved of you both in one day? 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, of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
Genesis · Revised Version with Apocrypha
Genesis 27 Revised Version with Apocrypha
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)