Genesis 27:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!

NIV: So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.

NASB: So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said, 'See, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed;

CSB: So he came closer and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothes, he blessed him and said: Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.

NLT: So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, 'Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the Lord has blessed!

KJV: 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:

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

Jacob is disguised as his older twin brother, Esau, in a plot to steal a blessing from his father, Isaac (Genesis 27:6–10). Isaac's blindness and age make this possible, but not easy, so Jacob and his mother Rebekah conspire to fool Isaac (Genesis 27:1). To this point, it seems to have worked, though Isaac seems to have some lingering suspicions (Genesis 27:22).

As Jacob comes near and kisses Isaac, the old man receives more confirmation that this must be Esau. His clothes carry the smell of the outdoors, of a field that the Lord has blessed. Esau loved to hunt and spend time in the fields, one of the things Isaac loved about his firstborn son (Genesis 25:28). Of course, this is part of the deception. Jacob's mother Rebekah had dressed him in Esau's clothes to make Jacob as convincing as possible to his blind father (Genesis 27:15). This particular trick works so well that Isaac immediately begins to confer the blessing on Jacob.

This specific part of Scripture does not indicate exactly what this blessing entails. It seems different from the covenant promises of God to Abraham and Isaac. Isaac will pass on that blessing to Jacob, in more precise words later on. At that point, he will have full knowledge, of the son to whom he is speaking. This blessing is more likely the customary blessing handed down from the father to his children in this era.

Since this boon comes from Isaac, however, as the patriarch of the chosen family of God at this point, this blessing will be more than the good wishes of a father. It will carry the weight of certainty. What Isaac prays in this blessing will absolutely come to pass in one form or another.

Genesis 27:1–29 describes how the Abrahamic family blessing came to second-born Jacob, instead of his firstborn brother, Esau. Isaac intends to give the blessing to his favored son, Esau. Rebekah commands Jacob to impersonate Esau, instead, in order to get the blessing for himself. Isaac almost catches on but is convinced by the smell of Esau on Jacob's borrowed clothes, and the hairy, Esau-like goat's skin on Jacob's hands. Isaac gives to Jacob the future-defining blessing of God.

Isaac's plan to pass the family blessing on to his favorite son, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac's wife Rebekah, and his other son Jacob. Old and blind, Isaac fails to recognize that the man claiming to be Esau is actually Jacob in a clever disguise. His prayer of blessing for wealth and rule over his brothers will remain valid though it is given under false pretense. Esau will be left with a blessing that sounds like a curse and a plan to murder his brother. Jacob will be forced to run for his life.

Prior chapters described the prosperity of Isaac, living in the Valley of Gerar. Genesis 27 leaps forward to near the end of Isaac's life. The time has come to pass on the family blessing. Isaac's intention to give that blessing to firstborn, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac's wife Rebekah and his other son Jacob. Isaac overcomes his suspicions that the man before him is not Esau and delivers the very blessing of God on Jacob. Esau is left with a near-curse and a murderous rage. Rebekah urges Jacob to go to her brother's household, a plan Isaac will endorse in the following chapter. There, he will ironically experience the sting of deception in his own life.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.