Genesis 27:18-29

Genesis 27:18-29

[18] And he came  unto his father,  and said,  My father:  and he said,  Here am I; who art thou, my son?  [19] And Jacob  said  unto his father,  I am Esau  thy firstborn;  I have done  according as thou badest  me: arise,  I pray thee, sit  and eat  of my venison,  that thy soul  may bless  [20] And Isaac  said  unto his son,  How is it that thou hast found  it so quickly,  my son?  And he said,  Because the LORD  thy God  brought  it to me.  [21] And Isaac  said  unto Jacob,  Come near,  I pray thee, that I may feel  thee, my son,  whether thou be my very  son  Esau  [22] And Jacob  went near  unto Isaac  his father;  and he felt  him, and said,  The voice  is Jacob's  voice,  but the hands  of Esau.  [23] And he discerned  him not, because his hands  were hairy,  as his brother  Esau's  hands:  so he blessed  [24] And he said,  Art thou my very son  Esau?  And he said,  [25] 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.  [26] And his father  Isaac  said  unto him, Come near  now, and kiss  me, my son.  [27] 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 the LORD  hath blessed:  [28] Therefore God  give  thee of the dew  of heaven,  and the fatness  of the earth,  and plenty  of corn  and wine:  [29] Let people  serve  thee, and nations  bow down  to thee: be  lord  over thy brethren,  and let thy mother's  sons  bow down  to thee: cursed  thee, and blessed  thee.

What does Genesis 27:18-29 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The response to Isaac"s blessing in Genesis 27:23 is proleptic; it refers to the blessing in Genesis 27:27-29, not another blessing that preceded that one.
Jacob"s kiss recalls another deceptive show of affection, namely, Judas" kiss of Jesus ( Matthew 26:48-49).
Isaac uttered his blessing ( Genesis 27:27-29) in poetic language and God"s Spirit doubtless inspired it since it proved to be prophetic (cf. Genesis 49:1-27; Deuteronomy 33; et al.). It was an oracle.
The writer mentioned two of the elements in the Abrahamic promises specifically here: possession of the land, and numerous descendants. He generalized the third element, the blessing of the nations, in Genesis 27:29 c.
"Since the intention to give the blessing to Esau the firstborn did not spring from proper feelings toward Jehovah and His promises, the blessing itself, as the use of the word Elohim instead of Jehovah or El Shaddai (cf. xxviii3) clearly shows, could not rise to the full height of the divine blessings of salvation, but referred chiefly to the relation in which the two brothers and their descendants would stand to one another, the theme with which Isaac"s soul was entirely filled. It was only the painful discovery that, in blessing against his will, he had been compelled to follow the saving counsel of God, which awakened in him the consciousness of his patriarchal vocation, and gave him the spiritual power to impart the "blessing of Abraham" to the son whom he had kept back, but whom Jehovah had chosen, when he was about to send him away to Haran (xxviii3 , 4)." [1]