Genesis 27:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.

NIV: He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him.

NASB: And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

CSB: He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.

NLT: But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob.

KJV: And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

NKJV: And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

Jacob is the younger, quieter, smooth-skinned twin brother of Esau (Genesis 25:24–28). His mother, Rebekah, overheard their father, Isaac, planning to give his blessing to Esau. Since she greatly preferred Jacob, she concocts a plot to fool the ailing and blinded man so that he'll bless Jacob, instead (Genesis 27:1–6). Using Esau's clothes and wearing goat skin to disguise his own, Jacob has also lied about who he is (Genesis 27:18–19). In response, Isaac has asked to touch the person standing in front of him (Genesis 27:21). Isaac, old and sightless, may have thought that feeling his son's hand would tell him definitively whether this was truly Esau or Jacob, as his voice suggested. Feeling the hairy skin provided by Jacob's mother, Isaac appears to be convinced that this is actually Esau (Genesis 27:22).

When we're told that Isaac blessed Jacob, this verse is looking forward to the full blessing given in Genesis 27:27. What follows this verse is a fuller description of the process Isaac used to pass along 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 4/29/2024 12:45:43 AM