Genesis 27:1 And he was, because He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) was old. And his eyes were weak from seeing. And he called Hairy (Esau) his big son. And he said unto him, “My son!” And he said unto him, “Behold I!” ²And he said, “Behold, na, I was old. I did not know a day of my death. ³And now, carry, na, thy utensils, thy quiver and thy bow, and exit the field. And hunt for me a hunting. ⁴And make for me tasties just as I loved. And bring to me. And I ate so that my being will bless thee before I will die.” ⁵And Multiple-Pouring (Rivka) hearkened into the word of He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) unto Hairy (Esau) his son. And Hairy (Esau) walked the field to hunt hunting to bring.

⁶And Multiple-Pouring (Rivka) said unto He-Will-Heel (Jacob) her son to say, “Behold, I hearkened to thy papa speaking unto Hairy (Esau) thy brother to say, ⁷‘Bring to me hunting. And make for me tasties. And I have eaten. And I have blessed thee to the faces of Yehovah to the faces of my death.’ ⁸And now, my son, hearken into my voice to what I am commanding thee. ⁹Walk, na, unto the flock. And take for me from there two good kids of goats. And I have made them tasties for thy papa just as he loved. ¹⁰And thou wilt bring to thy papa. And he will eat in order that he will bless thee to the faces of his death.” ¹¹And He-Will-Heel (Jacob) said unto Multiple-Pouring (Rivka) his mother, “Behold, Hairy (Esau) my brother is a man of hair. And I am a smooth man. ¹²Perhaps my papa will grope me. And I will be in his eyes as a wander-wander-causer. And I will bring upon me light-esteeming and not a blessing.” ¹³And his mama said to him, “Thy light-esteeming is upon me, my son. But hearken into my voice. And walk. Take for me!”

¹⁴And he walked. And he took. And he came to his mama. And his mama made tasties just as his papa loved. ¹⁵And Multiple-Pouring (Rivka) took the favorite garments of Hairy (Esau) her big son that are with her in the inside. And She clothed He-Will-Heel (Jacob) her little son. ¹⁶And she clothed upon his hands skins of kids of the goats, and upon the smooth of his necks. ¹⁷And she gave the tasties and the bread that she made into the hand of He-Will-Heel (Jacob) her son.

¹⁸And he came unto his papa. And he said, “My papa!” And he said, “Behold I! Who art thou? My son?” ¹⁹And He-Will-Heel (Jacob) said unto his papa, “I am Hairy (Esau) thy firstborn. I made just as thou spoke unto me. Arise, na. Sit and eat from my hunting so-that thy being will bless me!” ²⁰And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) said unto his son, “What is this? Thou hurried to find, my son?” And he said, “Because Yehovah thy Gods caused-an-encounter to my faces!” ²¹And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) said unto He-Will-Heel (Jacob), “Approach, na, and I have groped thee, my son! Art thou this my son Hairy (Esau), if not?” ²²And He-Will-Heel (Jacob) approached unto He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) his papa. And He groped him. And he said, “The voice is a voice of He-Will-Heel (Jacob), and the hands are the hands of Hairy (Esau)!” ²³And he did not recognize him. For his hands were as the hands of Hairy (Esau) his brother, hairs. And he blessed him.

²⁴And he said, “Thou art this my son Hairy (Esau)!” And he said, “I!” ²⁵And he said, “Approach to me. And I have eaten from hunting, my son, so that my being will bless thee.” And He approached to him. And he ate. And he brought to him wine. And he drank.

²⁶And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) his papa said unto him, “Approach, na, and kiss to me, my son!” ²⁷And he approached. And he kissed to him. And he fragranced the fragrance of his garments. And he blessed him, and said to him, “See! The fragrance of my son is as the fragrance of a field that Yehovah blessed him! ²⁸And the Gods will give to thee from dew of the heavens and from the oils of the land and the multiplicity of grain and new-wine. ²⁹Peoples shall serve thee, and folks shall prostrate to thee. Be a valiant-one to thy brothers. And sons of thy mama shall prostrate to thee. Thy cursers are cursed, and thy blessers are blessed.”

And he said to his papa, “My father shall arise and he has eaten from the hunting of his son in order that thy being will bless me!” ³²And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) his papa said to him, “Who art thou?” And he said, “I am thy son, thy firstborn, Hairy (Esau)!” ³³And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) quaked a big quake unto very much! And he said, “Who? Where is he, the hunter of hunting? And he brought to me. And I ate from all before thou wilt come. And I blessed him. Also, he will be blessed!”

³⁴As Hairy (Esau) hearkened to the words of his papa. And he screamed a big and bitter scream unto very much! And he said to his papa, “Bless me, also I, my papa!” ³⁵And he said, “Thy brother came via deceit. And he took thy blessing!” ³⁶And he said, “Is because he called his name ‘He-Will-Heel (Jacob)’? And he ‘heeled’ me this, strokes. He took my ‘firstbornness,’ and behold now he took my blessing!”

And he said, “Hast thou not neared for me a blessing?” ³⁷And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) answered. And he said to Hairy (Esau), “Behold, I put him a valiant-one to thee! And I gave all his brothers to him for slaves! And I sustained him grain and new-wine. And where to thee? What will I do, my son?” ³⁸And Hairy (Esau) said unto his papa, “One blessing—he is to thee, my papa! Bless me, also I, my papa!” And Hairy (Esau) lifted his voice. And he wept. ³⁹And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) his papa answered. And he said unto him, “Behold, thy settlement will be from oils of the land and from dew of the heavens from above. ⁴⁰And thou shalt live upon thy sword. And thou shalt serve thy brother. And he shall be just as thou shalt descend. And thou shalt break his yoke from upon thy neck!”

⁴¹And Hairy (Esau) grudged He-Will-Heel (Jacob) concerning the blessing that his papa blessed him. And Hairy (Esau) said in his heart, “Days of mourning of my papa shall approach! And I have killed He-Will-Heel (Jacob), my brother!” ⁴²And He told to Multiple-Pouring (Rivka) words of Hairy (Esau) her big son. And she sent. And she called to He-Will-Heel (Jacob) her little son. And she said unto him, “Behold, Hairy (Esau) thy brother consoles himself to thee to kill thee! ⁴³And now, my son, hearken into my voice. And arise. Flee for thee unto White my brother Haranward. ⁴⁴And thou shalt dwell with him a few days until-that heat of thy brother shall return, ⁴⁵until the nose of thy brother shall return from with thee. And he will forget what thou did to him. And I will send. And I will take thee from there. Why will I be bereft indeed of both of you one day?”

⁴⁶And Multiple-Pouring (Rivka) said unto He-Will-Laugh (Isaac), “I abhorred in my lives from the faces of the daughters of Heth (Shatter)! If He-Will-Heel (Jacob) is taking a woman from the daughters of Heth (Shatter) as these, from the daughters of the land, why are lives to me?” [Chapter 28] ¹And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) called He-Will-Heel (Jacob). And he blessed him. And he commanded him. And he said to him, “Thou shalt not take a woman from the daughters of Merchant (Canaan)! ²Arise! Walk toward the High Extension (Padanaram) houseward of They-Wasted-A-Mighty-One (Bethuel) father of thy mother. And take a woman to thee from there from daughters of White (Laban), brother of thy mother. ³And Mighty-One-My-Breasts (El Shaddai) will bless thee. And He has ‘fruited’ thee. And He has multiplied thee. And thou shalt be to a congregation of peoples! 4And He will give to thee blessings of Father-Of-A-Crowd—to thee and to thy seed with thee to thy inheriting the land of thy sojournings that Elohim gave to Father-Of-A-Crowd.

⁵And He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) sent He-Will-Heel (Jacob). And he walked toward High Extension (Padanaram) unto White (Laban) son of They-Wasted-A-Mighty-One (Bethuel) the Syrian, brother of Multiple-Pouring (Rivka), mother of He-Will-Heel (Jacob) and Hairy. ⁶And Hairy saw that He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) blessed He-Will-Heel (Jacob). And he will send him to High Extension (Padanaram) to take a woman to him from there with his blessing him. And he commanded concerning him to say, “Thou shalt not take a woman from daughters of Merchant (Canaan)!” ⁷And He-Will-Heel (Jacob) hearkened unto his papa and to his mama. And he walked to High Extension (Padanaram). ⁸And Hairy saw that daughters of Merchant (Canaan) are bad in the eyes of He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) his father. ⁹And Hairy walked unto Mighty-One-Will-Hearken (Ishmael). And he took to himself What-Hast-Thou-Pierced (Mahalath) daughter of Mighty-One-Will-Hearken (Ishmael) son of Father-Of-A-Crowd sister of Productive-[Ones] (Nebajoth) {fem.} upon his women for a woman.

Rebekah hearkened carefully to this conversation. Esau went on his way to hunt and to bring that to his papa.

1.   When these men blessed their children before their deaths, were they wishing good things on them and requesting what they would do after their fathers’ deaths?

2.   Why did Isaac want to eat very good food made by his son Esau before his being would bless Esau?

3.   Was Rebekah doing wrong by carefully listening and overhearing her husband’s conversation with Esau?

4.   Did Esau desire the blessing of his father? Explain.

Jacob saw a problem with this idea. Esau was covered with hair, and Jacob was nearly hairless, being smooth-skinned. He was used to Isaac feeling things and persons now that he was nearly blind. This will appear to be ‘leading Isaac down the wrong path,’ and thus causing him to wander from the truth. Isaac might view Jacob as far less important than before (lightly esteeming him), and Isaac might refuse to bless him. Rivka answered, “Thy light-esteeming is upon me, my son. But hearken into my voice. And walk. Take for me!”

1.   Did Rebekah (Rivka) do wrong by telling her son Jacob what Isaac and Esau had said?

2.   Rebekah plotted to fix the meal for Jacob and make it taste so good and so much like what Esau would make, that Isaac would bless Jacob thinking he was blessing Esau. Was this plot evil?

3.   Jacob was a grown man. Rivka commanded him to get the two goat kids for her. Do grown men have to obey their mothers?

4.   Jacob’s main objection to the plan of his mama was that he might appear to Isaac as one who caused his nearly blind papa to wander if he were caught, and that he might cause his father to esteem him as worth very little instead of obtaining a blessing. Were Jacob’s motives right?

5.   Rebekah was willing to be lightly esteemed for this action. Would you be willing to do what is right even if you knew you would suffer for doing it?

6.   Did Rebekah ignore all the harm that this would do to Esau, showing coldness and a lack of love for him?

7.   Why didn’t Rebekah just tell Isaac, and convince him to change his mind regarding the blessing of Esau?

8.   Why was this so important to Rebekah?

Rivka next took Esau’s favorite garments that were inside her tent. She put them on Jacob her younger son. She fastened the goatskins that she had removed from the goat kids onto Jacob’s hands and his neck spots that were smooth so that they felt like part of his hands and his neck. She placed the good food and fresh bread into Jacob’s hand.

1.   Why the text mention that he walked?

2.   The text states that she took Esau’s favorite garments in order to bring this plot about. Wouldn’t Esau’s knowing this completely destroy the trust he had for his mother?

3.   How did she attach the skins to Jacob so that they felt like Esau’s skin of his hands and the parts of his neck?

4.   How much work did she have to do to make sure that Jacob received that blessing?

Isaac asked if he (thinking he was Esau) had hurried to find game! He was back so soon! Jacob responded, “Because Yehovah thy Gods caused-an-encounter to my faces!”

Isaac still seemed puzzled, and told ‘Esau’ to approach so that Isaac could grope him. “Art thou this my son Hairy (Esau), if not?”

Jacob approached, and Isaac felt him. He then remarked, “The voice is a voice of Jacob, and the hands are the hands of Esau!” Yet, Isaac didn’t recognize him; the hands were hairy like Esau’s. So, Isaac blessed Jacob.

1.   Why did Isaac ask, “Who art thou? My son?”

2.   Jacob lied when he said, “I am Esau thy firstborn.” Did he do wrong?

3.   What does “caused an encounter” mean?

4.   In verse 20, Jacob said, “Because Yehovah thy Gods caused-an-encounter to my faces!” Jacob brought Yehovah into this lie, giving Yehovah credit when Yehovah did not do it. Did Jacob sin by doing this?

5. Verses 21 and 22 show Isaac trying to discern (carefully figure out) whether he is truly speaking with Esau. He groped him (felt him in a very personal way), feeling his hands and his neck. In verse 22, Jacob remarks, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” Why didn’t Isaac realize that this was not Esau?

Isaac told him to approach. Isaac now will eat from this hunting, and his being will bless ‘Esau’. Jacob approached. Isaac ate. Jacob brought wine; Isaac drank.

(No Questions)

Isaac said to Jacob, “See! The fragrance of my son is as the fragrance of a field that Yehovah blessed him!”

Isaac continued, “And the Gods will give to thee from dew of the heavens and from the oils of the land and the multiplicity of grain and new-wine. Peoples shall serve thee, and folks shall prostrate to thee. Be a valiant-one to thy brothers. And sons of thy mama shall prostrate to thee. Thy cursers are cursed, and thy blessers are blessed.” All the work that both Rivka and Jacob did was to obtain these few statements!

1.   Why do adults want to be kissed by their children who are grown?

2.   Do young children like to be kissed by their parents?

3.   Why did Isaac want his son to kiss him?

4.   Why did this part of the blessing start with the word “See”? Whom is Isaac commanding to see, and to whom is Isaac speaking when he says, “The fragrance of my son is as the fragrance of a field that Yehovah blessed him”?

5.   What is the fragrance of a field like if Yehovah blessed the field?

6.   What is important about being given from the dew of the heavens?

7.   The next statement in its entirety goes like this: “the Gods will give to thee from the oils of the land.” Why types of oils are these, and why would these be important?

8.   Who is “the Gods,” and why is this plural?

9.   What is important about “the multiplicity of grain”?

10. What is good about the multiplicity of new wine?

11. What does “peoples shall serve thee” mean?

12. What does “folks shall prostrate to thee” mean?

13. Isaac thought that he was passing the Abrahamic blessing on to Esau. Would this have been right to do?

14. The command to “be a valiant one to thy brothers” will be fulfilled by what types of actions?

15. Who are these brothers?

16. What does “sons of thy mama shall prostrate to thee” mean?

17. Who is a curser of Jacob?

18. What is a ‘blesser’ of Jacob?

19. The last part mentions cursers and blessers. Why doesn’t it mention any other category?

20. How will cursers be cursed and blessers be blessed?

1.   Why didn’t someone (besides Rivka and Jacob) tell Esau that his father had already eaten?

2.   What would have happened if Esau had returned while Jacob was feeding Isaac?

1.   Why did Esau answer the question, “Who art thou?” with “I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau,” using three different ways to describe who he was?

2.   Why did Isaac greatly quake, and what does that mean?

3.   Why did he then say, “Who?”

4.   Why did he ask, “Where is he, the hunter of hunting?”

5.   Why did Isaac tell Esau, “And he brought to me, and I ate from all before thou wilt come”?

6.   Why did Isaac tell Esau, “And I blessed him”?

7.   When Isaac said, “Also, he will be blessed,” what was Isaac doing?

8.   Did Isaac need to say, “Also, he will be blessed,” or could he have said to Esau, “Cursed be the deceiver! Thy blessing will go to thee, my son, and thou shalt be blessed!”?

Then he said to his father, “Bless me—also I—my papa!” Isaac responded, “Thy brother came via deceit. And he took thy blessing!” Esau bitterly responded, “Is because he called his name ‘He-Will-Heel (Jacob)’? And he ‘heeled’ me this, strokes. He took my firstbornness, and behold now he took my blessing!”

1.   Why start a sentence with as?

2.   What does hearken mean?

3.   Why did Esau react so strongly (by screaming a big and bitter scream) when he heard that Jacob was blessed?

4.   For what was Esau asking when he said to his papa, “Bless me, also I, my papa”?

5.   Did Isaac realize why Esau was so upset?

6.   Was Isaac telling Esau about Jacob’s evil deed in verse 35?

7.   What does “he ‘heeled’ me this, strokes” mean?

8.   When Esau said, “Is because he called his name ‘He-Will-Heel’? And he ‘heeled’ me this, strokes. He took my ‘firstbornness,’ and behold now he took my blessing,” was Esau speaking the truth?

Isaac then began to give Esau a blessing: “Behold, thy settlement will be from oils of the land and from dew of the heavens from above. And thou shalt live upon thy sword. And thou shalt serve thy brother. And he shall be just as thou shalt descend. And thou shalt break his yoke from upon thy neck!”

1.   What does “Hast thou not neared for me a blessing?” mean?

2.   What does “I put him a valiant-one to thee” mean?

3.   The text states, “I gave all his brothers to him for slaves.” How many brothers did Jacob have? Explain.

4.   What does “I sustained him grain and new-wine” mean?

5.   Explain “And where to thee?”:

6.   What was Isaac expressing when he said, “What will I do, my son?”

7.   Isaac finally gave Esau a blessing. What happened so that Isaac was able to do that?

8.   What does “thy settlement will be from oils of the land” mean?

9.   What does “thy settlement will be from dew of the heavens from above” mean?

10. What does “thou shalt live upon thy sword” mean?

11. What will be one of Esau’s main services that he will do?

12. Explain “And he shall be just as thou shalt descend. And thou shalt break his yoke from upon thy neck!”

13. What is a yoke?

14. Will Esau’s breaking Jacob’s yoke from upon his neck be good, or will it be bad?

Esau hatched a plan in his heart (mind). “Days of mourning of my papa shall approach! And I have killed Jacob my brother!”

Someone told Rivka what Esau said in his mind! Rivka sent for and called Jacob. She said to him, “Behold, Esau thy brother consoles himself to thee to kill thee! And now, my son, hearken into my voice. And arise. Flee for thee unto White (Laban) my brother Haranward. And thou shalt dwell with him a few days until-that heat of thy brother shalt return, until the nose of thy brother shall return from with thee. And he will forget what thou did to him. And I will send. And I will take thee from there. Why will I be bereft indeed of both of you one day?”

1.   Esau formed a grudge against Jacob over the blessing that his papa, Isaac, had given to Jacob. Did Esau care that much about the blessing itself?

2.   What are “days of mourning” in “days of mourning of my papa shall approach”?

3.   What does Esau mean by “And I have killed Jacob, my brother”?

4.   Esau plotted the murder of Jacob because he hated Jacob over the blessing. What does this tell readers about Esau’s character?

5.   Who told Rebekah the words that Esau spoke in his heart (mind)?

6.   Why did the one who read Esau’s mind tell Rebekah?

7.   Why didn’t He just stop Esau from the murder plan?

8.   What does “Esau thy brother consoles himself to thee to kill thee” mean?

9.   What does “until-that heat of thy brother shall return” mean?

10. What does “until the nose of thy brother shall return from with thee” mean?

11. In verse 45, Rebekah states, “until the nose of thy brother shall return from with thee. And he will forget what thou did to him.” Wasn’t Rebekah responsible for what Jacob did to Esau?

12. What does bereft mean?

13. What does Rebekah mean by “Why will I be bereft indeed of both of you one day?”

Isaac called Jacob. He blessed him. He also commanded him: “Thou shalt not take a woman from the daughters of Canaan! Arise! Walk toward the High Extension toward the house of Bethuel, father of thy mother. And take a woman to thee from there from daughters of Laban, brother of thy mother. And El Shaddai will bless thee. And He has ‘fruited’ thee. And He has multiplied thee. And thou shalt be to a congregation of peoples! And He will give to thee blessings of Avraham—to thee and to thy seed with thee to thy inheriting the land of thy sojournings that Elohim gave to Avraham.”

1.   What does “I abhorred in my lives from the faces of the daughters of Heth” mean?

2.   What was wrong with these women, and what did they have to do with Rebekah?

3.   What did Rivka fear, according to verse 46?

4.   Was Rivka racist against the local women?

5.   How did Isaac remedy Rivka’s fear?

6.   Genesis 28:1 states that Isaac blessed him (Jacob). What did he say or do that was this blessing?

7.   Where did Isaac command Jacob to obtain a woman?

8.   Is marrying a first cousin a wise thing to do today? Explain.

9.   Why did Isaac want Jacob to marry his cousin?

10. What does El Shaddai mean?

11. How did Isaac know that El Shaddai would bless Jacob?

12. What does “He has ‘fruited’ thee” mean?

13. What will happen if El Shaddai multiplies him?

14. What is a congregation of peoples?

15. Who is “thy seed with thee”?

Esau saw that Isaac blessed Jacob. He saw that Isaac will even send Jacob with his blessing to obtain a woman from Padanaram, from Laban. Esau had heard Isaac tell Jacob not to take a woman from the daughters of Canaan. Esau also saw that Jacob hearkened unto his father and his mother. Now Esau knew the truth—”the daughters of Canaan are bad in the eyes of Isaac his father.” Esau therefore went to Ishmael to obtain another woman!

He took Mahalath to be his woman in addition to the two women he already had.

1.   Esau saw that Isaac blessed Jacob (rather than tell him off for deceiving him). He also saw Isaac send Jacob to Padanaram to take a woman. (Esau had gotten his own Canaanite women without the permission or consent of his parents. If he had sought permission, Isaac would have warned him not to take Canaanite women just as Avraham had warned his slave not to take a woman of the Canaanites for Isaac). Esau saw that Isaac gave Jacob a command, and Jacob obeyed. Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were bad in the eyes of Isaac his father. What did Esau do with all this information, and was his action good?

2.   Jacob was a grown man. Did he have to hearken to his parents?

3.   Many today engage in premarital sexual intercourse (having sexual intercourse before marriage, also known as fornication). Many women get pregnant by this means, and many men are responsible for bringing children into the world without being fathers. Some of these women then become religious, and few of the men care about religion. Some modern churches have mainly women attending. Many of these women have come to church because they want something in their lives besides the emptiness that they caused by their own actions. (I am not thinking of a woman who was raped.) Very, very few truly desire Godliness. Whom do these men and women more resemble: Jacob, Esau, or the daughters of Heth?

4.   Will you be more like Jacob, Esau, or the daughters of Heth? Speak the truth.

5.   If Mahalath means What Hast Thou Pierced, why might a girl baby be named this?

6.   Were Esau’s parents consoled by Mahalath?