Genesis 27:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

NIV: Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob.

NASB: Then Rebekah took the best garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob.

CSB: Then Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were in the house, and had her younger son Jacob wear them.

NLT: Then she took Esau’s favorite clothes, which were there in the house, and gave them to her younger son, Jacob.

KJV: And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

NKJV: Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

Isaac is attempting to pass his blessing on to Esau, his firstborn twin son. Isaac's wife, Rebekah, overheard this plan (Genesis 27:6–10) and schemed with Jacob, the younger twin she preferred (Genesis 25:28). This plot relies heavily on Isaac's blindness (Genesis 27:1). Jacob makes no effort to resist, only asking how to avoid being caught (Genesis 27:12).

Here, Rebekah's scheme to trick her husband Isaac into giving the family blessing to Jacob instead of Esau has reached its critical moments. She has prepared the delicious meal, and Esau has not yet returned. All that remains now is to disguise Jacob, making a convincing enough version of Esau to deceive his blind father long enough to get the blessing from him.

This starts with the clothes, and Rebekah has access to Esau's best garments. She puts Jacob into them. Though Isaac is blind, the real purpose of this deception is the difference in their smell. Beyond that, though, Jacob is still smooth-skinned, while Esau is famously fairy (Genesis 25:25). Rebekah will have an answer for that in the following verse.

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.

Accessed 5/3/2024 10:59:57 AM