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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 said to him, “Here I am.”
Verse 1. Old: 137 years, when falling sickly and blind, at least for a time, he wished to bless Esau, who was 77 years old. Tirinus.
He said, “See now, I am old. I don’t know the day of my 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.”
Verse 4. That, and so forth He does not mean, that the meat would induce him to give his blessing. Neither can we suppose, that he intended to pervert the order of God, in making the younger son subject to the elder, if he was informed by Rebecca, of that disposition of providence. Calmet.—But of this he seems to have been ignorant, verse 29. 35. Worthington.
Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
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 bless you before the LORD before my death.’
Verse 7. In the sight of the Lord, answers to my soul, and so forth verse 4. I will bless thee with all earnestness and sincerity. Bible.
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.”
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.”
Verse 12. Mocked him, taking advantage of his blindness and old age. Menochius.
His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go get them for me.”
Verse 13. This curse. Rebecca had too much confidence in God’s promises, to think that he would suffer them to be ineffectual. Hence, Onkelos makes her say, “I have learnt by revelation, that thou wilt receive no curse, but only blessing.” The sequel shewed, that she was directed by God in this delicate business. Theod. q. 78. Calmet.
He went, and got them, and brought them to his mother. His mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
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.
Verse 15. Very good. Hebrew desirable, kept among perfumes, verse 27. Such, the Hebrews say, were used by the first-born, when they offered sacrifice. S. Jerom, q. Heb.
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.
He came to his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me.”
Verse 19. I am Esau, thy first-born. Saint Augustine, (L. Contra Mendacium, c. x.) treating at large upon this place, excuseth Jacob from a lie, because this whole passage was mysterious, as relating to the preference which was afterwards to be given to the Gentiles before the carnal Jews, which Jacob by prophetic light might understand. So far is certain, that the first birth-right, both by divine election, and by Esau’s free cession, belonged to Jacob: so that if there were any lie in the case, it could be no more than an officious and venial one. Challoner.—Ignorance might also excuse them from any sin; as many good and learned men have thought an officious lie to be lawful. Saint John Chrysostom hom. 52. Origen. Bonfrere. And even if we allow that they did wrong; the Scripture relates, but does not sanction what they did, Let him that thinks himself to stand, take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12. Calmet.—As our Saviour says of Saint John, He is Elias, Matthew 11, so, Jacob says, I am Esau, not in person, but in right of the first-born. Worthington.
Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He said, “Because the LORD your God gave me success.”
Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
Verse 22. Of Esau. Thus, too often our voice contradicts our hands or actions! Bible.
He didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.
He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”
He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless you.” He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank.
His father Isaac said to him, “Come near now, and kiss me, my son.”
He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, “Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed.
Verse 27. Plentiful. A word retained by the Sam. and Septuagint though lost in the Hebrew copies. Grotius.—Hath blessed with abundance of fruit and odoriferous herbs; such as had probably been shut up in the drawers with Esau’s robes. Menochius.
God give you of the dew of the sky, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine.
Verse 28. Wine. “By which Christ gathers together the multitude, in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.” Saint Augustine
Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers. Let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you. Blessed be everyone who blesses you.”
Verse 29. Worship thee, with civil respect, ( Bible.) as the Idumeans, Philistines and Moabites did, with respect to David, Solomon, and the Machabees, acknowledging their dominion, though reluctantly.—With blessing. Thus Rebecca had not given her son a vain assurance. Isaac prays that God may ever by his protector, and avenge his cause. Bible.
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.
Verse 30. Fear. Septuagint “Isaac was rapt into an ecstasy exceedingly great;” during which God explained to him the meaning of what had happened, that he might not think of revoking his blessing. Saint Augustine q. 80. He permitted Isaac to be in darkness respecting this affair, that it might be more manifest, that the will of man had no part in preferring Jacob; (Saint John Chrysostom hom. 53.) and that Esau might not direct his rage against his father. Worthington.
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.”
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.”
Verse 33. Be blessed. Thus he confirms what he had done; and shews that he bore no resentment towards his younger son, nor esteemed himself to be mocked, verse 12. Bible.
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.”
Verse 34. Roared, through savage fury and envy of his brother. Euseb. Menochius.
He said, “Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.”
Verse 35. Deceitfully. Hebrew slily; directed by wisdom, as the Chal. has it. S. Chrysostom (de sacerd.) praises the address of Jacob on this occasion. Calmet.
He said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing.” He said, “Haven’t you reserved a blessing for me?”
Verse 36. Jacob. That is, a supplanter. Challoner.—My blessing. Both Isaac and Esau speak of this blessing, according to the dictates of nature. But God had disposed of it otherwise. The profane and cruel manners of Esau rendered him unworthy of it; and he could not maintain his natural claim, after having freely resigned it even with an oath. He seems to distinguish the blessing from the birth-right, though one necessarily followed the other. Bible.
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?”
Verse 37. Brethren, or relations; ( Menochius.) for Isaac had no other children but these two. He never married any other woman but the beautiful and virtuous Rebecca. Bible.
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.
Verse 39. Moved; yet not so as to repent of what he had done; for Esau found no place of repentance in his father’s breast, although with tears he had sought it, (Hebrews 12:17) desiring to obtain the blessing of the first-born. Bible.—In the fat, and so forth Idumea was a barren country; and hence some would translate the Hebrew “far from the fat … shall they dwelling be; but thou shalt live by the sword.” Thus min often means from, as well as for in: my flesh is changed on account of the want of oil, Psalms 109:24. Hebrew a pinguedine. Calmet.—But all the ancient versions agree with the Vulg. So that we may say, the blessing of God made those barren regions supply the wants of the people abundantly; and so the Idumeans were to live by the sword, they would seize the rich habitations of their neighbours, ( Bible.) and thus obtain a country rendered fertile without their labour. Menochius.
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.”
Verse 40. Thy brother, in the reign of David, 2 Kennicott. 8:14, and of the Machabees. Josep. Ant. xiii. 17.—Yoke. When the house of Juda shall rebel against the Lord, in the days of Joram, then the Idumeans shall regain their liberty for a time; (4 Kennicott. 8:20) to be subdued again after 800 years by John Hyrcan, the high priest. Bible.—All the blessing of Esau tends to confirm that already given to his brother; so that the apostle seems to have considered it unworthy of notice. Calmet.—Jacob, in the mean time, never asserted his dominion; but still called Esau his lord, (Calmet. 32:4) and behaved to him with the greatest deference. Bible.—Yet the Idumeans always hated the Jews, and assisted Titus to destroy Jerusalem. Joseph. Tirinus.
Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
Verse 41. My father. He has no regard for this mother. Menochius.—Her love for Jacob filled him with greater indignation; and he resolved to murder him, in order, perhaps, to revenge himself on both. Though this cruel resolution was taken in his heart, with full deliberation, he was not so careful to conceal his intentions; but his watchful mother discovered it, and by her prudence, preserved him from committing the external sin: and Jacob from falling a prey to this second Cain.
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.
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?”
Verse 45. Both my sons. Esau would have forfeited his life for murder. Calmet. 9:6. Bible.—Perhaps she might also fear that Jacob, in his own defence, should in the very agony of death, give the aggressor a mortal wound; or that Esau, at least, would be forced to flee his country. Indeed, she considered him already as a lost man, on account of his marriage with the two women of Chanaan, and his savage manners. Calmet.
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?”
Verse 46. To live. Life will be a burden to me. Menochius.—She does not mention the principal reason of her desiring Jacob to go to Haran, for fear of grieving the tender heart of her husband; who, it seems, knew not the temper of Esau so well as she did. Calmet.