Genesis 27:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: until your brother 's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?"

NIV: When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?"

NASB: until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send word and get you from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?'

CSB: until your brother’s rage turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?"

NLT: When he calms down and forgets what you have done to him, I will send for you to come back. Why should I lose both of you in one day?'

KJV: Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

NKJV: until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?”

Esau has a plan to kill Jacob (Genesis 27:41). His rage is sinful, but not unexpected. Jacob conspired with their mother, Rebekah, to fool their blind father, Isaac, into giving a blessing to Jacob instead of Esau (Genesis 27:1–6; 30–35). Rebekah has learned of Esau's vengeful intentions. She is compelling Jacob, actually commanding him, to run for his life to her brother's household in Mesopotamia (Genesis 24:1–4; 24:23–28). She tells Jacob she wants him to stay there until Esau forgets that Jacob has stolen Isaac's blessing from him. She wants Jacob to stay far away until Esau's fury passes (Genesis 27:43–44).

She promises to send for Jacob when that day comes, though she gives no clue about when it might be. She does describe her greatest fear: losing both of her sons. If Esau kills him, Jacob would be dead and then Esau himself would likely be killed or sent away. She desperately wants to prevent that. As it turns out, Rebekah's plot will cost her a relationship with the son she greatly favors (Genesis 25:28). So far as we can tell from Scripture, Jacob will not return until after Rebekah has died (Genesis 35:27; 49:31).

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.