Genesis 27:21

_AND HE CAME UNTO HIS FATHER, AND SAID, MY FATHER: AND HE SAID, HERE AM I; WHO ART THOU, MY SON?_ He came unto his father. The scheme planned by the mother was to be executed by the son in the father's bed-chamber: and it is painful to think of the deliberate falsehoods, as well as daring profanity, he resorted to. The disguise, though wanting in one thing, which had nearly upset the whole plot, succeeded in misleading Isaac; and while giving his paternal embrace, the old man was roused into a state of high satisfaction and delight. Verse 27. THE SMELL ... IS AS ... OF A FIELD. The aromatic odours of the Syrian fields and meadows often impart a strong fragrance to the person and clothes, as has been noticed by many travelers. This may have been the reason for besmearing the "goodly raiment" with fragrant perfumes. It is not improbable, that in such a skillfully-contrived scheme, where n...

21._Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee_. It hence appears that the holy man was suspicious of fraud, and therefore hesitated. Whence it may seem that the benediction was vain, seeing it had no support of faith. But it thus pleased God so to perform his work by the hand of Isaac, as not to make him, who was the instrument, a willing furtherer of his design. Nor is it absurd that Isaac, like a blind man, should ignorantly transfer the blessing to a different person from him whom he intended. The ordinary function of pastors has something of a similar kind; for since by the command of God, they reconcile men to him, yet they do not discern to whom this reconciliation comes; thus they cast abroad the seed, but are uncertain respecting the fruit. Wherefore God does not place the office and power with which he has invested them, under the control of their own judgment. In this way th...

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 having Esau in his mind, though it was Jacob who was before him. He could not be ignorant how Esau had despised the best things. Moreover, his attachment to Esau, so as to disregard the mind of God, must have greatly weakened his own faith in these things. It might therefore be expected, that leanness would attend his blessing, agreeing with the state of his mind....

- Isaac Blessing His Sons The life of Isaac falls into three periods. During the first seventy-five years he is contemporary with his father. For sixty-one years more his son Jacob remains under the paternal roof. The remaining forty-four years are passed in the retirement of old age. The chapter before us narrates the last solemn acts of the middle period of his life. Genesis 27:1 ISAAC WAS OLD. - Joseph was in his thirtieth year when he stood before Pharaoh, and therefore thirty-nine when Jacob came down to Egypt at the age of one hundred and thirty. When Joseph was born, therefore, Jacob was ninety-one, and he had sojourned fourteen years in Padan-aram. Hence, Jacob’s flight to Laban took place when he was seventy-seven, and therefore in the one hundred and thirty-sixth year of Isaac. “His eyes were dim.” Weakness and even loss of sight is more frequent in Palestine

EXPOSITION 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 39:13, Genesis 39:15; Genesis 41:42),—στολὴ, LXX.,—and was often made of beautiful and costly materials (cf. 1 Kings 22:10). That t

AND ISAAC SAID UNTO JACOB, COME NEAR, I PRAY THEE, THAT I MAY FEEL THEE, MY SON,.... Still suspecting some fraud in the case; and whereas he knew that Esau was a hairy man, and Jacob smooth, he thought by feeling he could discover the imposture, if there was any: WHETHER THOU [BE] MY VERY SON ESAU, OR NOT; which he still pretty much questioned....

Genesis 27:1. _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 eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 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._ A sad misfortune to lose the sight of the eyes! How greatly, how much more than we do, ought we to thank God for the prolongation of our sight, and it has been well remarked by one of our greatest men of science «that we seldom hear Christian men thank God as they should for the use of spectacles in these modern times.» A philosopher has written a long paper concerning the

CHAPTER 27 THE STORY OF JACOB AND THE DECEPTION OF REBEKAH AND JACOB _ 1. Esau sent (Genesis 27:1)_ 2. Rebekah's deception (Genesis 27:5) 3. Jacob's deception (Genesis 27:18) 4. Jacob blessed (Genesis 27:26) 5. The discovery (Genesis 27:30) 6. Esau hates Jacob (Genesis 27:41) 7. Rebekah advises Jacob to flee (Genesis 27

AT HIS MOTHER'S INSTIGATION, JACOB CHEATS Esau OF HIS FATHER'S BLESSING. Probably compiled from J and E. Since both presuppose it later, both must have told the story. There are doublets which point to the use of two sources. We naturally expect the blessing to follow at the end of Genesis 27:23, but it comes only in Genesis 27:27_ b_. Twice Jacob is questioned as to his identity, and Isaac is in one place deceived by touch (Genesis 27:21) in the other by smell (Genesis 27:27). The analysis is, however, very uncertain, and may be neglected as the chapter reads fairly connectedly. The main thread of the story seems to co

_Come near_ Isaac's shadow of suspicion has not yet been dispelled, even by the invocation of the Divine Name. He requires to be assured by the very test that Jacob, in Genesis 27:12, had dreaded would defeat his mother's stratagem. This point raises the excitement of the story....