Genesis 27
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Summary
Isaac, who is now blind, summons Esau to him in his old age and asks him to fetch venison for him, so that he may bless Esau before he dies. Rebekah hears this and tells Jacob. Jacob kills two goats and Rebekah prepares them for Isaac. Rebekah disguises Jacob with goat hair so Isaac will not know that it is he who presents the savoury meat to him, instead of Esau. Jacob gives the meat to his father, and deceives him. Esau returns and presents his venison. Isaac realizes that Jacob has deceived him, and gives Esau a lesser blessing. Esau hates Jacob, and conspires to slay him. Rebekah warns Jacob that his life is in danger, and tells him to flee to the house of her brother, Laban.
Commentary
Bible Central Commentary
These free resources were developed for use in the free ScripturePlus app. Many of the contributors are professors of religion and ancient scripture at Brigham Young University.
Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, “Genesis 25–27,” in Genesis, Old Testament Minute Commentary Series, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Historical Commentaries
Many of the commentaries below are in the public domain and were authored over 100 years ago. In many cases, they do not reflect the findings of modern scholarship, but they may be helpful for understanding the history of biblical scholarship.
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Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- 1929 BC*
Further Reading
David E. Bokovoy, “From the Hand of Jacob: A Ritual Analysis of Genesis 27,” Studies in the Bible and Antiquity 1 (2009).
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Was It Significant that Nephi Was Made ‘a Ruler and a Teacher’ Over His Brethren? (1 Nephi 2:22),” KnoWhy 462 (August 28, 2018).
Matthew L. Bowen, “Jacob’s Protector,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 27 (2017): 229–256.
Matthew L. Bowen, “’I Kneeled Down Before My Maker’: Allusions to Esau in the Book of Enos,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 27 (2017): 29–56.
Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible
Matthew Henry (1706)
Commentary on the Bible
Adam Clarke (1831)
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable
Thomas Constable
Rashi’s Commentary
Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki)
Notes on the Bible
Albert Barnes (1834)
Exposition of the Entire Bible
John Gill (1746–63)
Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch (1857–78)
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible
John Wesley (1754–65)