Genesis 27:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

NIV: Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, 'The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.'

NASB: So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, and he touched him and said, 'The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.'

CSB: So Jacob came closer to his father Isaac. When he touched him, he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."

NLT: So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him. 'The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,' Isaac said.

KJV: And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

NKJV: So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

Jacob is attempting to impersonate his older twin brother, Esau, by wearing his clothes and putting hairy goat skins on his arms and neck (Genesis 27:6–17). The target of this fraud is his own father, an elderly and blind Isaac (Genesis 27:1–5). While his father might be ailing, he is not entirely senseless: Isaac is clearly aware that something is not right with this version of "Esau" standing before him. It's too soon for Esau to have returned (Genesis 27:18–20), and the voice is wrong. It's plainly Jacob's voice. So, Isaac asks this person to approach so he can feel his skin. Perhaps Isaac thought he would find Jacob's smooth hands attached to the voice.

Instead, Isaac finds hairy hands, like those of Esau, thanks to Jacob's mother cleverly applying the goat's skin. Old, blind and fearing he was near death, Isaac was probably confused. Maybe this really was his firstborn Esau to whom he intended to give the blessing.

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 5/1/2024 3:54:54 PM