Genesis 27:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

NIV: His father Isaac asked him, 'Who are you?' 'I am your son,' he answered, 'your firstborn, Esau.'

NASB: His father Isaac said to him, 'Who are you?' And he said, 'I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.'

CSB: But his father Isaac said to him, "Who are you? "He answered, "I am Esau your firstborn son."

NLT: But Isaac asked him, 'Who are you?' Esau replied, 'It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.'

KJV: And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

NKJV: And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

Jacob has just successfully scammed his father, by impersonating Esau, his older brother (Genesis 27:19–30). The purpose of this was to obtain the family blessing which Isaac meant to give Esau (Genesis 27:2–5). The plot went so far as to use Esau's clothes (Genesis 27:15), goat skins (Genesis 27:16), and food meant to mimic Isaac's favorite meal (Genesis 27:17). The basis for this entire incident is the fact that Isaac is old and blind (Genesis 27:1).

When Esau returns, having done exactly as Isaac asked him, he is met with a rude awakening. Isaac, old and blind, does not recognize Esau, just as he did not recognize Jacob dressed as Esau (Genesis 27:18). The old man is forced to ask, once again, who is standing before him. He gets the same answer: I am your firstborn son Esau.

Suddenly, the deception is revealed. The suspicions Isaac had when Jacob was there are confirmed, and he realizes that he's been played for a fool. He reacts forcefully, as one would expect.

Genesis 27:30–46 describes the aftermath of Jacob's deception of Isaac in order to receive the family blessing. Once Esau arrives and Isaac realizes he has given the blessing to the wrong son, his body begins to tremble in panic. Esau, deeply distraught, cries out in loud and bitter agony. Isaac gives to Esau a leftover blessing that reads like a curse. Esau pledges to kill Jacob once their father has died. Learning of this, Rebekah urges Jacob to run away to live with her brother in Mesopotamia.

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 4:33:36 AM