The Meaning of Genesis 27:46 Explained

Genesis 27:46

KJV: And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

YLT: And Rebekah saith unto Isaac, 'I have been disgusted with my life because of the presence of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these -- from the daughters of the land -- why do I live?'

Darby: And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good should my life do me?

ASV: And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Rebekah  said  to Isaac,  I am weary  of my life  because  of the daughters  of Heth:  if Jacob  take  a wife  of the daughters  of Heth,  such as these [which are] of the daughters  of the land,  what good  shall my life  do me? 

What does Genesis 27:46 Mean?

Study Notes

life , Genesis 26:34 ; Genesis 26:35 .
Heth was ancestor of the Hittites.

Verse Meaning

Rebekah used her dislike for Esau"s wives as an excuse to gain Isaac"s permission for Jacob to go to Paddan-aram. Paddan-aram was the area around Haran. [1] Evidently Rebekah had kept Esau"s hatred for Jacob from his aged father because she believed Isaac was near death ( Genesis 27:41). Rebekah"s deceit secured the blessing for Jacob, but it resulted in his having to flee from his home. As far as Genesis records, Rebekah never saw him again.
"... her broaching the subject of Jacob"s marriage was a masterstroke: it played equally on Isaac"s self-interest and his principles. The prospect of a third Hittite daughter-in-law and a distracted wife would have unmanned even an Abraham." [2]
"Rebekah"s manipulative language to spare Jacob again displays the poverty of Isaac and Rebekah"s relationship. As demonstrated by the previous deception, Isaac and Rebekah do not seem able to communicate honestly with one another on important spiritual matters." [3]
Isaac evidently realized that his desire to give the blessing to Esau was not God"s will, so having given it to Jacob ( Genesis 27:27-29) he blessed him further ( Genesis 28:1-4). [4]
This account is another remarkable demonstration of God"s ability to use the sins of men and women to accomplish His purposes and at the same time punish the sinners for their sins.
"What man intends for evil God utilizes for good." [5]
Many years later the aged Jacob blessed Joseph"s younger son Ephraim rather than his older brother Manasseh ( Genesis 48:14-19). He must have remembered how he had deceived his father Isaac to get his blessing. Joseph"s approach to Jacob on that occasion was honorable by contrast, and his life was free of the consequences of deceit. This was not true of Jacob"s life.
Jacob reaped what he sowed ( Galatians 6:7). Laban later deceived him, and later still his own sons (in the case of the sale of Joseph) did so even more cruelly than he deceived Isaac. [4]8

Chapter Summary: Genesis 27

1  Isaac sends Esau for venison
6  Rebekah instructs Jacob to obtain the blessing
14  Jacob, feigning to be Esau, obtains it
30  Esau brings venison
33  Isaac trembles
34  Esau complains, and by importunity obtains a blessing
41  He threatens Jacob's life
42  Rebekah disappoints him, by sending Jacob away

What do the individual words in Genesis 27:46 mean?

and said Rebekah to Isaac I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth if takes Jacob a wife of the daughters of Heth like these [who are] the daughters of the land what [good] will be to me my life
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רִבְקָה֙ אֶל־ יִצְחָ֔ק קַ֣צְתִּי בְחַיַּ֔י מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנ֣וֹת חֵ֑ת אִם־ לֹקֵ֣חַ יַ֠עֲקֹב אִשָּׁ֨ה מִבְּנֽוֹת־ חֵ֤ת כָּאֵ֙לֶּה֙ מִבְּנ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ לָ֥מָּה לִּ֖י ؟ חַיִּֽים

וַתֹּ֤אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
רִבְקָה֙  Rebekah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: רִבְקָה  
Sense: daughter of Bethuel, sister of Laban, wife of Isaac, and mother of Esau and Jacob.
יִצְחָ֔ק  Isaac 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִצְחָק  
Sense: son of Abraham by Sarah his wife and father of Jacob and Esau.
קַ֣צְתִּי  I  am  weary 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: קוּץ  
Sense: to be grieved, loathe, abhor, feel a loathing or abhorrence or sickening dread.
בְחַיַּ֔י  of  my  life 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
מִפְּנֵ֖י  because 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
בְּנ֣וֹת  of  the  daughters 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
חֵ֑ת  of  Heth 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵת  
Sense: a son of Canaan and the progenitor of the Hittites.
לֹקֵ֣חַ  takes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
יַ֠עֲקֹב  Jacob 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.
אִשָּׁ֨ה  a  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
מִבְּנֽוֹת־  of  the  daughters 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
חֵ֤ת  of  Heth 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵת  
Sense: a son of Canaan and the progenitor of the Hittites.
כָּאֵ֙לֶּה֙  like  these 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
מִבְּנ֣וֹת  [who  are]  the  daughters 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
לָ֥מָּה  what  [good] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
לִּ֖י  will  be  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
؟ חַיִּֽים  my  life 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.