Genesis 27:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”

NIV: But he said, 'Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.'

NASB: And he said, 'Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.'

CSB: But he replied, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing."

NLT: But Isaac said, 'Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.'

KJV: And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

NKJV: But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”

In a terrible moment that left old Isaac visibly shaken and Esau crying out bitterly, it has become clear that someone has stolen Esau's blessing. Esau has asked desperately—but futilely—that his father bless him, as well. Earlier, Esau had been so careless about his firstborn status that he'd made an oath to sell his birthright to his younger twin brother, Jacob (Genesis 25:29–34). Now, when he realizes that he truly has lost something valuable, he responds with what starts and panic, but soon turns into murderous rage (Genesis 27:41).

Now Isaac makes it clear: He knows who stole the blessing. It was Jacob. He came in deception and tricked Isaac into giving the blessing to him (Genesis 27:15–17). Whether Isaac knows, yet, that Rebekah was involved in this elaborate scheme, we don't know, but it's safe to say he will find out, eventually. For now, though, Isaac has to tell Esau that even though he doesn't like what Jacob has done, the transaction is completed. It cannot be reversed.

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 5/6/2024 9:58:57 PM