Genesis 27:18-29

"And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me; arise, I pray thee and sit, and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy God sent me good speed. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. 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. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said I am. And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near, now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said:

See, the smell of my son Is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed: And God give thee of the dew of heaven. And of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and new wine: Let peoples serve thee, And nations bow down to thee: Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: Cursed be every one that curseth thee. And blessed be every one that blesseth thee."

Of interest here are the number of falsehoods attributable to Jacob:

1. He said, "I am your first-born."
   
2. "I have brought the venison, as you commanded."
   
3. "I did it so quickly because `your God' gave me good speed."
   
4. He wore Esau's clothes.
   
5. He wore goat hair on his neck and hands.
   
6. He answered his father's specific question, "Art thou Esau," by saying, "I am."
   
7. He feigned the irreligion of Esau.
   

It is curious that Jacob referred to Jehovah in this episode as "your God," thus answering the question after the manner of the irreligious Esau, who from this appears as one who had renounced all faith in God for himself.

"So he blessed him ..." should be rendered, "Still, as he was about to bless him."[14] "This is the denotation of the Hebrew imperfect."[15] The source-splitting critics, not knowing this, suppose two sources!

Rebekah's cunning plan of deception addressed all of Isaac's four remaining senses except hearing. Hearing should have been enough for Isaac to discern the truth, but, as he had turned away from hearing God's Word with reference to his two sons, it was fitting indeed that he should have ignored hearing as it also concerned the words of Jacob. He was a man who lived according to taste, smell, and feeling. His eyesight had faded. Marshall Keeble used to warn people against going by "their feelings" in religion, saying, "If Isaac had stuck to hearing and ignored his feelings, he would not have been deceived."

"The kiss ..." (Genesis 27:26) "The kiss appears here for the first time as the token of true love and deep affection."[16]

"Give thee of the dew of heaven ..." Our version translates this expression by an identical rendition in Isaac's blessing of Esau (Genesis 27:29), but later versions render the words in Esau's blessing as "away from the dew of heaven." "The expression has a double meaning."[17] "It means either: (1) of the dew of heaven (as in Jacob's blessing); or (2) away from the dew of heaven (as in Esau's blessing).[18] Thus, the context and theological considerations must determine which is meant. The scholars are correct in rendering it differently in the two places. This characteristic of the Bible extends throughout; and, just as this word has two different meanings in a single chapter, just so the word "seed" must be interpreted according to the context.

"And nations (shall) bow down to thee ..." All of the thirty-two kingdoms of Canaan were conquered, subdued, and driven out of Palestine by the posterity of Jacob, as prophesied here; but there is a remote and greater fulfillment also which took place in Christ the Second Israel as manifested on earth in his Church. The ancient prophets expanded on this prophecy by affirming that, "The nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish ... (they) shall come bending low to you" (Isaiah 60:12,14). The fulfillment of this came when the Gentiles bowed before the feet of Christ, the true Israel. There is no promise here that racial Jews shall eventually rule the earth.