What does Genesis 27:7 mean?
ESV: ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’
NIV: ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’
NASB: ‘Bring me some game and prepare a delicious meal for me, so that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’
CSB: ‘Bring me game and make a delicious meal for me to eat so that I can bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’
NLT: ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’
KJV: Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.
NKJV: ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’
Verse Commentary:
Rebekah is telling Jacob what she overheard Isaac saying to his older brother Esau. Isaac told Esau to hunt game and to prepare for him a delicious meal. Isaac's plan was to bless Esau before he died (Genesis 27:1–4). This is the kind of announcement one would normally expect to happen in front of the entire family. This family, however, suffers from extreme favoritism (Genesis 25:28). And Esau, at some point in the past, had sold his rights as firstborn to his younger twin brother, Jacob (Genesis 25:29–34). Isaac is probably attempting to grant this blessing in private to avoid the complications of those very issues.
Rebekah, however, knows that God has promised that Jacob, not Esau, will be the dominant brother (Genesis 25:23). Instead of trusting in God, and allowing Him to work, Rebekah will make an all-too-common mistake. She will try to "help" God achieve the end result she believes ought to occur. Rebekah is about to enlist Jacob in a scheme to secure the blessing for himself before Esau can receive it.
Verse Context:
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.
Chapter Summary:
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.
Chapter Context:
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.
Book Summary:
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.
Accessed 11/22/2024 4:41:32 AM
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