Genesis 27:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, "Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed."

NIV: Isaac trembled violently and said, "Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!"

NASB: Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, 'Who then was he who hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate from all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.'

CSB: Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. "Who was it then," he said, "who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came in, and I blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed!"

NLT: Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, 'Then who just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. And yes, that blessing must stand!'

KJV: And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where 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.

NKJV: 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— and indeed he shall be blessed.”

Moments before Esau arrived, Isaac had finished giving his fatherly blessing. This, apparently, was a one-time, irrevocable prayer for success and prosperity. What Isaac did not know was that the son he blessed was not Esau, who he'd sent out for a meal of wild game (Genesis 27:2–5). Instead, it was a cleverly-disguised Jacob, preying on Isaac's age and blindness (Genesis 27:1). Isaac had been suspicious, at first, but the elaborate scheme concocted by Jacob and Rebekah had been enough to fool him (Genesis 27:10–30).

This time, Isaac has no doubt that the man standing before him is Esau. He begins to panic. He trembles very violently. The text is clear that Isaac is so upset his whole body starts shaking. He asks the obvious question: If you're Esau, who came just before you and left with the blessing?

The verse concludes with a statement of great faith on Isaac's part, though he is so deeply troubled. Isaac believes that God will still honor the prayer of blessing, no matter that it was delivered to the wrong man under an elaborate deception. This, of course, follows the prophecy given to Rebekah prior to the birth of these twins (Genesis 25:28). Jacob will, in the end, be blessed more than Esau. As Esau will now learn, the transaction was final.

Genesis 27:30–46 describes the aftermath of Jacob's deception of Isaac in order to receive the family blessing. Once Esau arrives and Isaac realizes he has given the blessing to the wrong son, his body begins to tremble in panic. Esau, deeply distraught, cries out in loud and bitter agony. Isaac gives to Esau a leftover blessing that reads like a curse. Esau pledges to kill Jacob once their father has died. Learning of this, Rebekah urges Jacob to run away to live with her brother in Mesopotamia.

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.