Genesis 27:28

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.”

27 And he came near and ^akissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:
“Surely, ^bthe smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field
Which the Lord has blessed.

28 Therefore may ^aGod give you
Of ^bthe dew of heaven,
Of ^cthe fatness of the earth,
And ^dplenty of grain and wine.

29 ^aLet peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And ^blet your mother’s sons bow down to you.
^cCursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”

Esau’s Lost Hope

30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 He also had made¹ savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and ^aeat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”

32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—^aand indeed he shall be blessed.”

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, ^ahe cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”

36 And Esau said, ^a“Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, ^a“Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with ^bgrain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”

38 And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice ^aand wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:
“Behold, ^ayour dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth,
And of the dew of heaven from above.

40 By your sword you shall live,
And ^ayou shall serve your brother;
And ^bit shall come to pass, when you become restless,
That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Jacob Escapes from Esau

41 So Esau ^ahated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, ^b“The days of mourning for my father¹ are at hand; ^cthen I will kill my brother Jacob.”

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

<< Genesis 27:27

Genesis 27:29 >>

What Does Genesis 27:28 Mean?

Genesis 27:28-29

Notably, this blessing includes wealth and power. Israel would be served by peoples and nations, and Israel's posterity would have a preeminent place among the nations.

However, there is something else. Jacob's mother had only two sons, Jacob himself, of course, and Esau. Yet, Isaac, speaking to Jacob, uses the word "sons," plural, as if Jacob had more than one brother. In fact, God's Word says nothing of Rebekah having three or more sons. This perplexes us as much as it must have perplexed Jacob when he heard these words. Why does Isaac use the language he does?

Clearly, Isaac is speaking of Abraham's extended family. The word "brethren," which is an old form of the plural of "brother," refers to all the descendants of Abraham, those through Hagar and Keturah, as well as the descendants of Esau himself. Jacob's "mother's sons" refers to all the progeny of Rebekah, falling through Jacob himself and Esau. "The blessing here raises to the idea of universal domination" (Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, p. 177).

Therefore, the blessing points to future generations, not just to the lifetime of Jacob himself. Its thrust is for the Israel of a future time.

Charles Whitaker
Searching for Israel (Part Two): Blessings in Faith

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Genesis 27:28:

Genesis 25:34

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Genesis 27:29 >>

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Esau’s Lost Hope

Jacob Escapes from Esau

What Does Genesis 27:28 Mean?

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