Chapter Overview
Isaac is old and dying, so he decides it’s time to bless his eldest and get on with the dying part. He tells Esau to get him some of his favorite food, and Esau heads out to do so. Rebekah tells Jacob to get some instead, sends him in, and Jacob gets blessed. When Esau returns and finds out, he’s angry and wants to kill Jacob, so Rebekah sends Jacob away before he gets murdered.
Additional Thoughts
This is another chapter where I swear we could find it on a terrible sitcom that has too high an opinion of its own supposed humor. This reads like we’re supposed to be rooting for Jacob even though he’s a dick. I presume that Esau is being set up to be the leader of yet another nation that hates the author’s in-group, but he’s done nothing wrong. Literally. He was forced to give up his inheritance because he was pretty close to dying and needed food, and then his dick of a brother stole the last thing that made him “special” as an older brother. I’d say Jacob-slaying is a pretty good response all things considered.
Chapter 27: Isaac blesses Jacob
AKA: Jacob is a Dick Part 2
- And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
- And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
- Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
- And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
- And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
- And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
- Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.
- Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
- Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
- And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
- And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
- My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
- And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
- And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
- And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
- And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
- And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
- And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
- And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
- 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.
- And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
- And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
- And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
- And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
- 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.
- And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
- 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:
- Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
- 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 be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
- And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
- And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.
- And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
- And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
- And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
- And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
- And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
- And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
- And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
- And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
- And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
- And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
- And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
- Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
- And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away;
- Until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
- 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?
- Wow… Isaac bit the bullet quite fast. We only get 2 chapters that focus on Isaac before he dies?
- Most people don’t know when they die. Why would Isaac expect to?
- Sounds like Isaac wants a last meal of deer meat.
- He must really love deer.
- Was she listening outside the tent?
- Sounds like she’s about to cause trouble.
- Just repeats what Isaac said.
- This sounds like the whole “taking Esau’s blessing away” was Rebekah’s idea.
- Sounds like Rebekah is pretty sure that she knows what Isaac likes.
- But why would Jacob even want to go along with this plan?
- Fair point I guess. We’ll have to assume this is true.
- That’s pretty reasonable. Jacob doesn’t want to deceive. Is this another story about how women are supposed to be evil?
- AKA: Hop to it son, it doesn’t really matter if he does curse you.
- Cooks the food.
- Time to cosplay your older brother!
- Just how hairy IS Esau? A goat skin would imply he’s as hairy as a goat… does Esau even look human?
- Hands off the food and then goes to hide, presumably.
- Is Isaac also hard of hearing? Presumably Jacob and Esau sound quite different.
- Lying to get that sweet, sweet blessing. Apparently god approves of this.
- At least Isaac hasn’t completely lost all reason.
- You’d expect the man who worked with goats and sheep to be able to tell the difference.
- Reason hasn’t completely left this guy. Why does he trust goat fur over the voice that it’s literally stated that he recognizes as Jacob?
- You’d really think this guy would notice the difference. Also, presumably this is from the goats that were just slaughtered…
- Lying, it’s in the bible kids! And god approves of lying to get your way!
- Now to eat all the things.
- This is pretty long and drawn out
- Seriously, how could this guy not put together a working hypothesis that he might be lied to by now? Especially if he recognizes that this is Jacob’s voice?
- Bless this child!
- Does this blessing carry the same weight as a blessing from god?
- Talk about your narrative pacing.
- AKA: He did exactly what was asked of him.
- Alternative text: “And through Isaac’s mind reverberated the word ‘Fuck!'”
- Sounds like Isaac is finally starting to put 2 and 2 together.
- Reasonable. Does a father have only one blessing that they can give? I don’t actually know the history on this.
- Took Isaac long enough to get 4 from putting 2 and 2 together.
- This is actually a far more compelling reason to kill someone than Cain from many chapters back.
- AKA: Nope! I only have one blessing to give. No refunds or take backs allowed. Once given, the blessing remains in full force until *mumble mumble* done.
- Reasonable question
- This starts off somewhat nice
- And then devolves into more of a curse than anything else. Seriously… why??
- That’s a reasonable feeling I think
- I can’t imagine why. If only someone could have told Rebekah that lying and stealing could have unforeseen consequences.
- Run away!!
- I think it’ll take more than a few days for that to happen.
- She could have been deprived of none of them if she’d not been an insistent dick about this whole thing. This is very reminiscent of the garden of eden story, isn’t it?
- What is this verse even doing here?