01 Gen-27 Yada Yada

#TorahLawofMoses #YadaYadaPauses #G

Author and Authorship Date:

Author: Traditionally Moses, as per biblical tradition.
When Authored: Approximately 1440–1400 BC, during or after the Exodus, as Moses led the Israelites.
Audience: The Israelites, particularly during the time of Moses, to understand their covenantal history and God’s promises.

Setting and Main Storyline:

Setting: Isaac’s household, likely in a tent or dwelling in the land of Canaan.
Main Storyline: Isaac, old and blind, intends to bless his elder son Esau. Esau had previously given his Birthright away to Jacob. Rebekah overhears and schemes with Jacob to deceive Isaac, securing the Blessing for Jacob instead. Esau discovers the deception, becomes enraged, and plans to kill Jacob, prompting Rebekah to send Jacob away.

Where and When:

Biblical Location: The land of Canaan, specifically near Beersheba (Genesis 26:33, 28:10).
Modern Location: Beersheba is in modern-day southern Israel, near the Negev Desert.
When: During the patriarchal period, approximately 1800–1700 BC, based on biblical chronology.

Genesis 27 Gen-27

← Genesis 26 | Genesis | Genesis 28 →

When Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim,

so that he could not see,
he called Esau
- his elder son,
- and said to him,
  - "My son?"
    - He //Esau// said to him //Isaac/,
      - "Here I am."
- He //Isaac// said,
  - "See now,
    - I am old
    - I don't know the day of my ^[1]death.
  - Now therefore,
    - please take your weapons,
      - your quiver
      - and your bow,
    - and go out to the field,
      - and get me venison.
    - Make me savory food,
      - such as I love,
    - and bring it to me,
      - that I may eat,
      - and that my soul may bless you
        
        before I die."
- Esau went
  - to the field
    - to hunt for venison,
    - and to bring it.
Rebekah heard
- when Isaac spoke to Esau
  - his son.
- Rebekah spoke to Jacob
  - her son, saying,
    - "Behold, I heard
      - your father
        
        speak to Esau
        
        your brother, saying,
        
        'Bring me venison,
        
        and make me savory food,
        
        that I may eat,
        
        and ^[2]bless you
        
        before Yahweh
        
        before my death.'
    - Now therefore,
      - my son,
        
        obey my voice
        
        according to that which I command you.
        
        Go now to the flock
        
        and get me two good young goats from there.
        
        I will make them savory food
        
        for your father,
        
        such as he loves.
        
        You shall bring it
        
        to your father,
        
        that he may eat,
        
        so that he may bless you
        
        before his death."

Rebekah has indicated this was a command from her. Interesting how the text indicates "his son" and "her son".

Later in v 36 Esau indicates Jacob cheated him twice. First he will get the Birthright, Jacob was rightly entitled to that because Esau gave it to him Gen-25:29 Gen-25#v30 Gen-25#v31 Gen-25#v32 Gen-25#v33 -34. But because of Rebekah's command, Jacob will also get the Blessing, through deception of Isaac.

Jacob said
- to Rebekah
  - his mother,
  - "Behold, Esau
    - my brother
    - is a hairy man,
      - and I am a smooth man.
      - What if my father touches me?
        
        I will seem to him as a deceiver,
        
        and I would bring a curse on myself,
        
        and not a Blessing."

Jacob doesn't want to do this, he has a dilemma as to whether to listen to his mother or not.

His mother said
- to him //Jacob//,
  - "^[3]Let your curse be on me,
    - my son.
  - Only obey my voice,
    - and go get them for me."
- He went,
- and got them,
- and brought them
  - to his mother.
- His mother
  - made savory food,
    - such as his father loved.

Eden language - saw/went took, gave

Rebekah took
- the good clothes
  - of Esau,
    - her elder son,
  - which were with her
    - in the house,
- and put them
  - on Jacob,
    - her younger son.
- She put the skins
  - of the young goats
    - on his hands,
    - and on the smooth of his neck.
- She gave
  - the savory food
  - and the bread,
    - which she had prepared,
  - into the hand
    - of her son
      - Jacob.

Eden - Yah made clothes for Adam and Eve

He //Jacob// came
- to his father,
- and said,
  - "My father?"
- He //Isaac// said,
  - "Here I am.
  - Who are you, my son?"
    - Jacob said
      - to his father,
        
        "I am Esau // Unrighteous Lie # 1//
        
        your firstborn. // Unrighteous Lie # 2//
        
        I have done what you asked me to do. // Unrighteous Lie # 3//
        
        Please arise, sit and eat of my venison, // Unrighteous Lie # 4//
        
        that your soul may bless me."
  - Isaac said
    - to his son,
      - "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" //Suspicion # 1//
        
        He //Jacob// said,
        
        "Because Yahweh
        
        your God
        
        gave me success." // Unrighteous Lie # 5//
  - Isaac said
    - to Jacob,
      - "Please come near,
        
        that I may feel you,
        
        my son,
        
        whether you are really my son
        
        Esau or not." //Suspicion # 2//
      - Jacob went near
        
        to Isaac
        
        his father.
        
        He //Isaac// felt him //Jacob//,
        
        and said,
        
        "The voice is Jacob's voice,
        
        but the hands are the hands of Esau." //Suspicion # 3//
        
        He //Isaac// didn't recognize him //Jacob//,
        
        because his //Jacob// hands were hairy,
        
        like his brother Esau's hands.
        
        So he //Isaac// blessed him //Jacob//.
        
        He said,
        
        "Are you really my son Esau?" //Suspicion # 4//
        
        He //Jacob// said,
        
        "I am." // Unrighteous Lie # 7//
      - He said,
        
        "Bring it near to me,
        
        and I will eat of my son's venison,
        
        that my soul may bless you."
        
        He //Jacob// brought it near
        
        to him //Isaac//,
        
        and he ate.
        
        He //Jacob// brought him //Isaac//
        
        wine,
        
        and he drank
      - His father Isaac
        
        said to him,
        
        "Come near now,
        
        and kiss me,
        
        my son."
        
        He //Jacob// came near,
        
        and kissed him //Isaac//.
        
        He //Isaac// smelled the smell of his clothing, //Suspicion # 5//
        
        and blessed him,
        
        and said,
        
        "Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Yahweh has blessed.

Wouldn't Isaac have known about what Yah told Rebekah about the older serving the younger?

Wouldn't Isaac have known about Esau giving his birthright to Jacob?

The Blessing

God give you
- of the dew
  - of the sky,
- of the fatness
  - of the earth,
- and plenty of grain and new wine.
Let peoples //ammim (עַמִּים).//
- serve you,
and nations //le’ummim (לְאֻמִּים)//
- bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers.
- Let your mother's sons bow down to you.
^[4]Cursed be everyone
- who curses you.
^[5]Blessed be everyone
- who blesses you." Gen-12:3

As soon as Isaac had finished

blessing Jacob,
and Jacob had just gone out
- from the presence of Isaac
  - his father,
Esau
- his brother
- came in from his hunting.
- He also made
  - savory food,
- and brought it
  - to his father.
- He said
  - to his father,
    - "Let my father arise,
    - and eat of his son's venison,
      - that your soul may bless me."
    - Isaac
      - his father said
        
        to him,
        
        "Who are you?"
        
        He said,
        
        "I am your son,
        
        your firstborn,
        
        Esau."

Deceived

Isaac trembled violently, and said,
- "Who, then, is he who
  - has taken venison,
  - and brought it to me,
  - and I have eaten of all
    - before you came,
    - and have blessed him?
      - Yes, he will be blessed."
When Esau heard the words
- of his father,
- he cried
  - with an exceedingly great and bitter cry,
- and said to his father,
  - "Bless me, even me also, my father."
    - He //Isaac// said,
      - "Your brother came
        
        with deceit,
        
        and has taken away
        
        your Blessing." //Doesn't say your birthright//
- He //Esau// said,
  - "Isn't he rightly named Jacob?
    - For he has supplanted me these two times //both the birthright and the blessing//.
      - He //Jacob// took away my Birthright.
      - See, now he //Jacob// has taken away my Blessing."
        
        He //Esau// said,
        
        "Haven't you //Isaac// reserved a blessing for me?"
        
        Isaac answered Esau,
        
        "Behold, I have made him your lord,
        
        and all his brothers I have given to him for servants.
        
        I have sustained him with grain and new wine.
        
        What then will I do for you, my son?"
- Esau said to his father,
  - "Do you have just one Blessing, my father?
    - Bless me, even me also, my father."
  - Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
    - Isaac his father answered him,
      - "Behold, your dwelling will be of the fatness of the earth,
      - and of the dew of the sky from above.
      - You will live by your sword,
      - and you will serve your brother.
        
        It will happen, when
        
        you will break loose,
        
        that you will shake his yoke
        
        from off your neck."
- Esau hated Jacob
  - because of the blessing
    - with which his father
      - blessed him.
  - Esau said in his heart, "
    - ^[6]The days of mourning for my father are at hand.
      - Then I will kill my brother Jacob."

Esau didn't get "the name." Was that what he wanted the most? Would everyone know he didn't get the blessing? Would Esau feel shame for not getting "the name"?

In the context of Genesis 27, Isaac’s words to Esau indicate a future where Esau (and his descendants, often associated with Edom in Jewish tradition) will initially be subservient to Jacob (and his descendants, Israel). The "yoke" represents Jacob’s dominance or authority over Esau, likely in a familial or socio-political sense. However, the phrase "when you grow restless" (tarid) suggests that Esau’s submission is not permanent. At some point, through striving or rebellion, Esau will "break loose" and cast off Jacob’s yoke, achieving independence or freedom from this subjugation. The Hebrew wording implies a struggle or effort (rud suggests active resistance or restlessness) rather than a passive release. The imagery of breaking a yoke is vivid in the Hebrew Bible, symbolizing liberation from oppression (e.g., Isaiah 9:4, Jeremiah 28:2). Thus, Isaac’s prophecy foretells a time when Esau’s descendants will assert their autonomy, no longer under Jacob’s control.

Sent Away

The words of Esau,
- her elder son,
- were told to Rebekah.
  - She sent and called Jacob,
    - her younger son,
    - and said to him,
      - "Behold, your brother Esau
        
        comforts himself about you
        
        by planning to kill you.
        
        Now therefore, my son,
        
        obey my voice.
        
        Arise, flee to Laban,
        
        my brother,
        
        in Haran. //northeast from Canaan//
        
        Stay with him a few days,
        
        until your brother's fury turns away--
        
        until your brother's anger turns away from you,
        
        and he forgets what you have done to him.
        
        Then I will send,
        
        and get you from there.
        
        Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"
- Rebekah said to Isaac,
  - "I am weary
    - of my life
      - because of the daughters
        
        of Heth.
        
        If Jacob takes a wife
        
        of the daughters
        
        of Heth,
        
        such as these, of the daughters
        
        of the land,
        
        what good will my life do me?"

Daughters of Heth were the women of the Hittite people. Heth is a descendant of Canaan, son of Ham Gen-10:15. Abraham bought a burial site from them Gen-23:3 Gen-23#v4 Gen-23#v5 Gen-23#v6 Gen-23#v7 Gen-23#v8 Gen-23#v9 Gen-23#v10 Gen-23#v11 Gen-23#v12 Gen-23#v13 Gen-23#v14 Gen-23#v15 Gen-23#v16 Gen-23#v17 Gen-23#v18 Gen-23#v19 -20 Esau had married Hittite women. Gen-26:34 -35

Is Rebekah just saying this so she can justify sending Jacob away to Isaac? In the next verse he calls Jacob and sends him away.

Repeated words:

bless (6)
blessing (7)
brother (6)
eat (5)
father (11)
hand (5)
mother (5)
savoury meat (5)
son (10)
voice (5)

Connections

Deception and Its Consequences

Genesis 12:10–20 Gen-12#v10: Abram deceives Pharaoh about Sarai being his wife, leading to consequences. This parallels Jacob’s deception, showing how lying affects relationships and outcomes.
Genesis 29:15–30 Gen-29#v15: Jacob is deceived by Laban, who substitutes Leah for Rachel on Jacob’s wedding night. This mirrors Jacob’s own deception in Genesis 27, illustrating a pattern of reaping what one sows.
Proverbs 12:22 Prov-12#v22: “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” This underscores the moral implications of Jacob and Rebekah’s deception.
Galatians 6:7 Gal-06#v7: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” This New Testament principle reflects the consequences of Jacob’s actions, as he later faces deception.

Sibling Rivalry

Genesis 25:21–34 Gen-25#v21: The earlier account of Jacob and Esau’s birth and the selling of the birthright sets the stage for the blessing conflict in Genesis 27. Esau’s disregard for his birthright (Gen 25:29–34) contrasts with his distress in Genesis 27:34–38.
Genesis 33:1–17 Gen-33#v1: Jacob and Esau’s reconciliation after years of estrangement shows the resolution of their rivalry, contrasting with the hostility in Genesis 27:41.
1 John 3:11–12 1 John-03#v11: “We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.” The Cain and Abel story (Gen 4:1–16) is a parallel to Jacob and Esau’s conflict, highlighting sibling enmity.

Blessing and Inheritance

Genesis 12:1–3 Gen-12#v1: God’s promise to Abraham about blessing his offspring is foundational to the patriarchal blessing in Genesis 27, as Isaac’s blessing to Jacob continues this covenant (Gen 27:27–29).
Genesis 28:1–4 Gen-28#v1: Isaac reaffirms the blessing to Jacob before he flees to Haran, explicitly tying it to the Abrahamic covenant, reinforcing the significance of Genesis 27’s events.
Hebrews 11:20 Heb-11#v20: “By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.” This New Testament reference directly cites Genesis 27, emphasizing the faith behind Isaac’s blessing despite the deception.
Numbers 23:19–20 Num-23#v19: “God is not man, that he should lie… He has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.” This reflects the irrevocability of Isaac’s blessing to Jacob (Gen 27:33).

God’s Sovereignty

Genesis 25:23 Gen-25#v23: God’s prophecy to Rebekah that “the older shall serve the younger” foreshadows the events of Genesis 27, showing that God’s plan prevails despite human schemes.
Romans 9:10–13 Rom-09#v10: Paul references Jacob and Esau, stating, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated,” to illustrate God’s sovereign choice, directly tying to Genesis 27’s outcome.
Proverbs 19:21 Prov-19#v21: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” This aligns with God’s plan unfolding through the messy events of Genesis 27.

Family Dysfunction and Favoritism

Genesis 37:3–4 Gen-37#v3: Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph, leading to his brothers’ jealousy, echoes the favoritism of Isaac and Rebekah toward Esau and Jacob, respectively (Gen 27:6–17).
James 2:1 James-02#v1: “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” This principle critiques the favoritism displayed by Rebekah and Isaac in Genesis 27.
Ephesians 6:4 Ephes-06#v4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” This contrasts with the dysfunctional parenting in Genesis 27, which fueled conflict.

Chiastic Structure

[44]Jacob Steals the Blessing (Gen 27:1-40)

A(27:1-4)

Isaac wanted to bless Esau

B(27:5-17)

Stratagem of Rebekah

C(27:18-25)

Which of my sons are you? (27:18)

(מיאתה)

D(27:26-29)

Blessing for Jacob

C'(27:30-34)

Who are you? (27:32)

(מיאתה)

B'(27:35-37)

Stratagem of Rebekah was revealed

A'(27:38-40)

Isaac blessed Esau

A: Blessing for Esau. B: Stratagem of Rebekah. C: Who are you?. D: Blessing for Jacob.

[45]Rebekah Recommends That Jacob Flee (Gen 27:41-45)

A(27:41)

When the time of mourning for my father comes, I will kill my brother Jacob (27:41)

B(27:42)

she called her younger son Jacob (27:42)

C(27:43-44)

flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran (27:43)

B'(27:45a)

I will send for you and bring you back. (27:45)

A'(27:45b)

Must I lose both of you in a single day? (27:45)

A: Stratagem to kill Jacob. B: To bring back Jacob. C: Jacob's escape.

← Genesis 26 | Genesis | Genesis 28 →

Physical Death Isaac is anticipating his death ↩︎
Idiom bless you before Yahweh before my death = Refers to invoking a formal, covenantal blessing with divine authority, a significant act in patriarchal culture. ↩︎
Curse Rebekah willing to take the curse of being a deceiver from Jacob ↩︎
Curse given from Isaac to Jacob who he thinks is Esau - during his blessing, he curses everyone who curses Jacob. ↩︎
Blessinggiven from Isaac to Jacob who he thinks is Esau - during his blessing, he blesses everyone who blesses Jacob. ↩︎
Idiom The days of mourning for my father are at hand = cultural phrase for anticipating a parent’s passing and the subsequent freedom to act (in this case, to kill Jacob) ↩︎