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Genesis 27:23
ESV And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau 's hands. So he blessed him.
NIV He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him.
NASB And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
CSB He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.
NLT But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob.
KJV And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
NKJV And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

What does Genesis 27:23 mean?

Jacob is the younger, quieter, smooth-skinned twin brother of Esau (Genesis 25:24–28). His mother, Rebekah, overheard their father, Isaac, planning to give his blessing to Esau. Since she greatly preferred Jacob, she concocts a plot to fool the ailing and blinded man so that he'll bless Jacob, instead (Genesis 27:1–6). Using Esau's clothes and wearing goat skin to disguise his own, Jacob has also lied about who he is (Genesis 27:18–19). In response, Isaac has asked to touch the person standing in front of him (Genesis 27:21). Isaac, old and sightless, may have thought that feeling his son's hand would tell him definitively whether this was truly Esau or Jacob, as his voice suggested. Feeling the hairy skin provided by Jacob's mother, Isaac appears to be convinced that this is actually Esau (Genesis 27:22).

When we're told that Isaac blessed Jacob, this verse is looking forward to the full blessing given in Genesis 27:27. What follows this verse is a fuller description of the process Isaac used to pass along the blessing.
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