Genesis 27:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.

NIV: Isaac said, 'I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death.

NASB: Then Isaac said, 'Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.

CSB: He said, "Look, I am old and do not know the day of my death.

NLT: I am an old man now,' Isaac said, 'and I don’t know when I may die.

KJV: And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

NKJV: Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.

Isaac, now quite old, has summoned Esau. He calls out to him, and Esau lets him know that he is present. This response is necessary because, as the previous verse explains, Isaac's eyes are dim and he can no longer see.

Now Isaac launches into a prepared speech for Esau, beginning with the reality that he is old and he could die at any time. We will learn that Isaac's intention is to pass on his blessing to Esau before it's too late.

This is the kind of statement that probably should have been made in the presence of both sons. However, Isaac and his wife Rebekah suffer from overt favoritism when it comes to their sons (Genesis 25:28). Isaac probably assumes that if Rebekah knows what is about to happen, she will find some way to interfere. As it turns out, this is absolutely true.

It's also possible, but not stated, that Isaac knows that Esau has sold his birthright to Jacob, and this is an attempt to bless Esau without letting that mistake interfere (Genesis 25:29–34). This motivation is not stated in Scripture, however.

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 5:19:11 PM