Commentary on Genesis, Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII.
Ver. 1. VVHen Iſaac was old.] An hundred thirty and ſeven Years old, as many have demonſtrated.
He ſaid unto him, My Son, &c.] It appears by this and what follows, that though Eſau had diſpleaſed him by his Marriage; yet he retained his natural Affection to him, which he had from the beginning.
Ver. 3. Thy Quiver.] Some take the Hebrew word to ſignifie a Sword: Which was as neceſſary for a Huntsman, as a Bow and Arrows.
Ver. 4. Make me ſavoury Meat, &c.] To raiſe his feeble Spirits, and enable him to deliver his laſt and ſolemn Benediction, with the more Vigour.
My Soul may bleſs thee before I die.] It ſeems Iſaac did not underſtand the Divine Oracle, XXV. 25. as Rebekah did; Or, ſhe had not acquainted him with it. For he intended to beſtow upon Eſau the promiſed Land; which was that God told Abraham he would bleſs his Poſterity withall. For the laſt Benediction of theſe great Men, was the ſetling of their Inheritance; and making thoſe their Heirs upon whom they beſtowed their Bleſſing. Now the Birth-right which Eſau had ſold Jacob gave him right only to the greateſt part of Iſaac's Eſtate: But not to the Land of Canaan, which was to be diſpoſed of by Iſaac, according to Divine Direction.
Ver. 7. And bleſs thee before the LORD.] Theſe words ſhow it was not a common Bleſſing, but a ſolemn Benediction, and by Divine Authority or Approbation, which Iſaac meant to give his Son Eſau.
Ver. 8. Obey my Voice, &c.] Rebekah having juſt reaſon to conclude, that Eſau had forfeited the Bleſſing, which ſhe was deſirous to preſerve in her Family, by marrying with the People of Canaan, who were curſed by God; thought of this Device to get Jacob preferred before him. And indeed, it cannot be denied, that it was a prophane thing (as I noted before) to marry with a Daughter of Heth. And he ſeems afterwards to have had no good Deſign in marrying with a Daughter of Iſhmael, (XXVIII. 9.) for it looks as if he went about to ſet up the Pretenſions of that Family, againſt Iſaac's.
Ver. 9. Two good Kids of the Goats.] Two fat ſucking Kids, as Aben Ezra expounds this Phraſe, Kid of the Goats, (upon Exod. XXIII. 19.) which in old time were accounted very delicious Meat: A Preſent fit for a King, 1 Sam. XVI. 20. and which Manoah prepared for the Angel, whom he took for a Noble Gueſt, Judg. XIII. 15: And (which is moſt proper to be here conſidered) allowed to decayed and weak People, as an excellent Nouriſhment.
Both theſe Kids were not prepared for Iſaac: But ſhe took the moſt tender and delicate parts of both, and dreſſed them for him.
And I will make them ſavoury Meat.] Dreſs it ſo, as to pleaſe his Palate; and not to be diſtinguiſhed by him from Veniſon. For, we know, the natural taſte of things may be quite altered, by various ſorts of Seaſonings, as we call them: And ordered in ſuch manner, that Bochartus ſays he knew skilful Huntsmen take a Paſty made of Beef, for Veniſon.
Ver. 11. An hairy Man.] In the Hebrew, iſch Sair, a rough Man, hairy like a Goat. For the ſame word Sair ſignifies a Goat, Gen. XXXVII. 31. Lev. IX. 15. and other places.
Ver. 12. A deceiver.] One that cheats his Father; impoſing on his Age, and on his Blindneſs: Which, he wiſely conſiders, would have been an high Provocation if it had been diſcovered.
Ver. 13. Ʋpon me be thy curſe.] i. e. There is no danger: I will warrant the ſucceſs.
Ver. 15. Took goodly Raiment, &c.] His beſt Clothes; which moſt ſuppoſe were laid up in a Cheſt, among odoriferous Flowers, or other Perfumes: Both to preſerve them from Moths, and to comfort the Brain when they were worn: For their ſmell is mentioned verſe 27. It is a groundleſs fanſie of the Jews, that theſe were Sacerdotal Garments, (and the very ſame that Adam wore, which deſcended to Noah, &c.) for, as there was no Sacrifice now to be made, ſo the Primogeniture did not make him a Prieſt, more than Jacob, as was noted before. One may rather ſay, theſe were Garments belonging to him, as Heir of the Family: Between whom and the other Sons, it's very probable the Affection of Parents was wont to make ſome difference in their Apparel.
Ver. 16. Put the Skin of the Kids of the Goats.] It is obſerved by Bochartus, That in the Eaſtern Countries, Goats-Hair was very like to that of Men. P. I. Hierozoic. L. 2. c. 51. So that Iſaac might eaſily be deceived, when his Eyes were dim, and his Feeling no leſs decayed than his Sight.
Ver. 18. Who art thou, My Son?] He ſuſpected him, from his Voice, and returning ſo ſoon from Hunting.
Ver. 19. I am Eſau thy firſt-born, &c.] Here are many untruths told by Jacob, beſides this, (for his Father did not bid him go, get him ſome Veniſon, nor did God bring this Meat to him, which he had prepared, &c.) which cannot be wholly excuſed: But it muſt be confeſſed, he and his Mother were poſſeſſed with a falſe Opinion, That they might deceive Iſaac, for the good of his Family.
Ariſe, I pray thee, and ſit and eat, &c.] He was lying upon his Bed, one would gueſs by this, being aged and infirm: And he intreats him to raiſe up himſelf, and ſit: For ſo they did in thoſe Days (as we do now) at their Meals. This appears afterwards, when Joſeph's Brethren ſat down to eat Bread, XXXVII. 25. and ſat when they eat with Joſeph in Egypt, XLIII. 33. And ſo Homer makes all his Hero's ſit at their Feaſts, as Athenaeus obſerves: Which Cuſtom continued among the Macedonians in the days of Alexander, as Bochartus obſerves in his Hierozoic. P. I. L. II. c. 50.
Ver. 21. Come near, &c.] Iſaac ſtill ſuſpected by this long diſcourſe with him, wherein he obſerved his Voice, that it was not Eſau. And the Hebrews, in Bereſchith Rabba ſay, that he fell into a great ſweat, and his Heart melted in him like Wax, while he talked with him: So that an Angel came to ſupport him, from falling down.
Ver. 23. So he bleſſed him.] After he had once more askt him whether he was his very Son Eſau, which Jacob affirmed, verſe 24. who was puniſhed for this Deceit, when he was cheated himſelf by Laban, in the buſineſs of his Wives, as well as in other things: And (as the Hebrews obſerved) he that deceived his Father by the Skins of the Kids of Goats, was deceived himſelf into a falſe opinion that Joſeph was killed; by his Brethren dipping his Coat in the Blood of a Kid of the Goats, Gen. XXXVII. 31.
Ver. 26. Come now and kiſs me.] Some think he had a deſire to be ſatisfied that way, whether he was Eſau or not. But I take it rather, to be a Token of his great Love and Affection, wherewith he beſtowed his Bleſſing upon him.
Ver. 27. He ſmelled the ſmell of his Raiment.] As he embraced him, he perceived the fragrancy of his Garments: Which he could not before, while he ſtood remote; his Senſes being weak and dull. The Jews who fanſie theſe to have been the Garments wherein Adam miniſtred; imagine alſo that they retained the ſcent which they had in Paradiſe. So Bereſchith Rabba, and R. Sol. Jarchi, as Braunius obſerves, L. I. de Veſtib. Hebr. Sacerd. c. 4.
See, the ſmell of my Son.] The apprehenſion of one Senſe, is, in this Language, often uſed for the apprehenſion of another, (as Maimonides ſpeaks, P. I. More Nevoch. cap. 46.) as, ſee the Word of the LORD, Jer. II. 31. i. e. Hear his Word. And ſo in this place, See the ſmell is as much, as Smell the Odour of my Son, &c. But it may ſimply ſignifie, Behold, or obſerve; no Field that God hath adorned with the greateſt variety of the moſt fragrant Flowers, ſmells ſweeter than my Son.
Ver. 28. Therefore God give thee, &c.] I take it for a ſign that God will give thee, (for ſo it may be tranſlated, as a Prophecy, as well as a Prayer) the greateſt abundance: Which proceeds from a rich Soil, well watered from Heaven. Theſe two are the cauſes of Plenty.
The Dew of Heaven.] Rain fell only at certain Seaſons, in that Country: But there was a recompence for it by large Dews; which very much refreſhed the Earth; and are repreſented in Scripture as a Divine Gift, Job XXXVIII. 28. Micah V. 7. which God threatens ſometimes to with-hold, becauſe of Mens Offences, 1 Kings XVII. 1.
Ver. 29. Let People ſerve thee, &c.] As the former part of the Bleſſing relates to Wealth: So this, to Dominion and Empire: Which was ſignally fulfilled in the Days of David, when the Moabites, Ammonites, Syrians, Philiſtines, and Edomites alſo were ſubdued under him.
Let thy Mother's Sons bow down to thee.] This is a third part of the Bleſſing, giving him a Prerogative in his own Family: And in the next words he pronounces a Bleſſing upon all that ſhould be Friends to him; as on the contrary, a Curſe upon his Enemies.
Ver. 33. Iſaac trembled very exceedingly.] What the Hebrews ſay upon verſe 21. (ſee there) had been more proper here: That his Heart melted; and he was ready to ſwoon away.
Who?] A broken form of Speech.
Yea, and he ſhall be bleſſed.] He had bleſſed him ſo Seriouſly, and with ſuch Affection, and (it is likely) extraordinary Confidence of God's Approbation, that he would not revoke it. For he felt, as I take it, the Spirit of Prophecy upon him, when he pronounced this Bleſſing: And it inlightned him to underſtand the Oracle formerly delivered, XXV. 23.
Ver. 35. Taken away thy Bleſſing.] Which I intended to have beſtowed on thee; looking upon it as thine, by the right of being my Firſt-born.
Ver. 37. All his Brethren.] His Kindred.
What ſhall I now do unto thee, my Son?] Having given Jacob ſo much; it was but a ſmall matter he could do for him.
Ver. 39. Behold, thy dwelling ſhall be the fatneſs, &c.] Some have tranſlated it, Thy dwelling ſhall be without the fatneſs of the Earth, and the Dew from above: But by thy Sword ſhalt thou live, &c. i. e. He propheſies that he ſhould inhabit a poor Country: But maintain himſelf plentifully by his Sword. For, otherwiſe (they think) his Bleſſing would be the ſame with Jacob's, verſe 28. But if we retain our Tranſlation, there is a manifeſt difference between this and Jacob's Benediction. For here he makes no mention of plenty of Corn and Wine; and gives him no ſuch Dominion as he did to Jacob, (the Jews obſerve other differences) and whatſoever fatneſs was in the Soil of his Country, it did not laſt, as appears by Mal. I. 3.
Ver. 40. By thy Sword ſhalt thou live.] Live upon Spoil. Or, as others interpret it, be in perpetual War to defend thy Country.
And ſhalt ſerve thy Brother.] Here Iſaac ſpeaks out, the very words of the Oracle mentioned before, XXV. 23. which was fulfilled in the days of David, 2 Sam. VIII. 14. and 1 Chron. XVIII. 13. (the Circumſtances of which Conqueſt are more fully deſcribed, 1 Kings XI. 15, &c.) And again, after they had recovered ſome ſtrength, Amaziah made great ſlaughters among them, 2 Kings XIV. 7. As the Maccabees did afterwards, 1 Macc. V. 65. and at laſt were utterly diſabled by Hircanus, the Son of Simon Maccabaeus, as we read in Joſephus, L. XIII. Antiq. c. 17.
When thou ſhalt have the Dominion.] St. Hierom and the LXX do not underſtand this of their having any Dominion over the Seed of Jacob (which we never read of) but only of their re-gaining Power to ſhake off ſubjection to them, as it follows in the next words.
Thou ſhalt break his Yoke from off thy Neck.] Which they did in the Days of Joram, as we read, 2 Kings VIII. 20, 22. 2 Chron. XXI. 8, &c.
Ver. 41. And Eſau ſaid in his Heart.] Deſigned and reſolved within himſelf: And, as it ſhould ſeem, was ſo full of it, that he could not contain his Purpoſe within his own Breaſt, but in his Anger blurted it out to ſome Body; who told it to Rebekah.
The days of mourning for my Father, &c.] He will die ſhortly, (in which he was deceived, for he lived three and forty Years after this) and then I will be revenged. He had ſome regard to his Father ſtill remaining (whom he would not grieve) but no conſideration of his Mother, who had helpt Jacob to ſupplant him.
Ver. 44. Tarry with him a few days.] A Year or two. But herein ſhe alſo was miſtaken: For he did not return in twenty Years time.
Ʋntil thy Brother's fury.] Time, in which various things happen, very much allaies Fury and Rage.
Ver. 45. And he forget, &c.] The memory of it be much worn out, and grown weak.
Why ſhould I be deprived of you both in one day?] She had reaſon to think, that if Eſau killed Jacob, and the Publick Juſtice did not puniſh it (according to the Precept, IX. 6. which had ſetled Courts of Judicature) God himſelf would proſecute Eſau with his Vengeance, as he did Cain.
Ver. 46. I am weary of my life, becauſe of the Daughters of Heth.] The two Wives of Eſau, who were Hittites, were ſuch a continual vexation to her; that ſhe wiſht rather to die, than to live among them.
If Jacob take a Wife, &c.] She pretends only this reaſon for ſending Jacob among her Kindred; and ſays not a word of the danger his Life was in: For ſhe would not afflict her Husband; but only preſerve her Son.
What good ſhall my life do me?] I had rather die than live in ſuch perpetual vexation: Therefore let him go and take a Wife, as Abraham did for thee, of our Kindred.