Genesis 27 tells the story of how Isaac, old and nearly blind, meant to pass his blessing to his firstborn son Esau, and how his wife Rebekah and younger son Jacob arranged for Jacob to receive it instead. People read this chapter for a plain answer to a hard question: why did a family built on God’s promises fall into such deceit, and what does the story show about blessing, favoritism and God’s purposes? The chapter is a summary of a family in pain, where love, rivalry and a longing for God’s favor collide.
Genesis 27 Summary
The chapter opens with Isaac, now old and unable to see, asking Esau to hunt venison and prepare the meal he loves so that he can bless him before he dies. Rebekah overhears the request and quickly plans a way for Jacob to take Esau’s place. She prepares a meal from two young goats, dresses Jacob in Esau’s clothes, and covers his arms and neck with goatskins so that his smooth skin will feel like Esau’s hairy skin to his father.
Jacob brings the food to Isaac, who is suspicious that the hunt was finished so quickly and who doubts the voice he hears. After touching his son and tasting the meal, Isaac gives the blessing to Jacob, promising abundance of dew, fatness of the earth and lordship over his brothers. Esau then returns with his own meal, and when the deception is revealed, Isaac trembles, Esau weeps and begs for a blessing too, and Isaac can offer only a lesser word that Esau will serve his brother for a time. The chapter closes with Esau nursing a murderous hatred and Rebekah sending Jacob away to her brother Laban in Haran.
Background and Setting
Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures and the opening book of the Torah, the Pentateuch. Tradition ascribes its authorship to Moses, though many scholars today see it as shaped from older traditions over a long period, with its final form often dated to the time of the Israelite monarchy or later. It was preserved for the people of Israel and, in Christian reading, is received as part of the Old Testament.
Chapter 27 sits in the middle of the patriarchal narratives, following the birth of Esau and Jacob and the sale of the birthright in chapter 25, and before Jacob’s departure to Haran and the vision at Bethel. Within that larger arc, it shows how the promises made to Abraham and Isaac were being carried forward through a flawed and divided household.
Genesis 27 Section by Section
Verses 1-4: The Father’s Request
1 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.” 2 He said, “See now, I am old. I don’t know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison. 4 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.”
Genesis 27:1-4 (WEB)
The chapter begins with the frailty of an aging father. Isaac’s blindness and his sense that death is near give urgency to his wish to bless his firstborn. The request is ordinary: a hunt, a meal, a father’s blessing. Yet the request also reveals that Isaac wants to give his blessing in a particular way, through a shared meal and a son’s skill, and that he loves the savory food he remembers from Esau’s hands.
Notice too the moral weight the narrative carries. Isaac is not an unmixed hero here. His partiality toward Esau, which the wider story has already hinted at, sets the stage for what follows. A household’s favoritism rarely stays quiet, and this chapter shows how it can drive others to act.
Verses 5-17: Rebekah’s Plan
5 Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. 6 Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7 ‘Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before the LORD before my death.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you. 9 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. 10 You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”
Genesis 27:5-10 (WEB)
Rebekah hears the conversation and acts at once. Her scheme is bold and carefully planned: she chooses the goats, prepares the meal, and dresses Jacob in Esau’s garments. She is not presented as a simple villain, since she speaks of wanting the blessing to rest on the son she believes God has chosen, but the method she uses is deceptive and she directs Jacob to lie to his father.
Jacob’s hesitation is telling. He worries that his father will discover the trick and that he will bring a curse instead of a blessing. Rebekah answers that any curse will fall on her. The exchange shows how a family’s secrecy can pull its members into wrongdoing, each one rationalizing a step further than the last.
Verses 18-29: The Blessing Given
18 He came to his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 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.” 20 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.”
Genesis 27:18-20 (WEB)
Jacob enters Isaac’s tent and speaks a series of lies: he claims to be Esau, says he has done what was asked, and credits the LORD for the quick success. Isaac’s questions show his doubt, and he reaches out to feel his son’s hands and body before deciding. His own words, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau,” capture the confusion of the moment.
When Isaac finally blesses him, the words speak of dew from heaven, the richness of the land, and dominion over peoples and brothers. The narrative places these words within the older promises God made to Abraham, so the reader sees that the blessing carries real weight. The chapter does not hide the cost: the blessing was obtained through deceit, and the family’s trust was broken in the process.
Verses 30-40: Esau’s Cry
33 Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who, then, is he who has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, he will be blessed.” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, my father.” 35 He said, “Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.”
Genesis 27:33-35 (WEB)
Esau returns to find that the blessing is gone. His cry is one of the most painful moments in Genesis. Isaac trembles because he realizes what has happened, and he will not take back the words he has spoken. Esau pleads for a blessing of his own, and Isaac can give him only a lesser word, a life lived by the sword and under his brother’s yoke for a time.
This section shows that a spoken blessing, once given, carries a weight that even the one who gave it cannot easily undo. It also reveals Esau’s grief and the lasting damage of his loss.
Verses 41-46: Hatred and Flight
41 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.” 42 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. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran. 44 Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away; 45 until your brother’s anger turn 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?”
Genesis 27:41-45 (WEB)
Esau’s anger turns into a plan to kill Jacob after the mourning for their father has ended. Rebekah learns of the plot and sends Jacob away to her brother Laban in Haran, promising to bring him back once the anger has cooled. The chapter ends with Rebekah’s own weariness over Esau’s Hittite wives, which sets up the next movement of the story.
Here the chapter moves from the household’s intrigue to its consequences. Jacob must leave home, and the family that was meant to carry God’s promise is now divided by fear, hatred and distance.
Key Themes in Genesis 27
- Blessing and its weight: A spoken blessing carries real power in this story, so much so that even Isaac cannot take it back once it has been given.
- Favoritism and its fruit: Isaac’s preference for Esau and Rebekah’s preference for Jacob drive the family into deception and rivalry.
- Deceit and its costs: Lies told to gain a blessing bring fear, grief and exile rather than the peace the characters hoped for.
- God’s purposes within human failure: The promises to Abraham and Isaac move forward even through a flawed and broken family, showing that God’s plans are not dependent on human perfection.
Lessons From Genesis 27 for Today
Many families today know something of this chapter’s tensions. A parent may quietly favor one child, a sibling may feel overlooked, and the resulting resentment can slowly push people toward shortcuts and half-truths. The story invites you to notice those patterns early and to name them honestly before they harden into harm.
The chapter also speaks to anyone who has been tempted to grab an opportunity they believe is rightfully theirs. Jacob’s scheme brought him the blessing, but it also brought him twenty years of exile and a lifetime of wrestling with his past. God’s promises do not need our schemes to be fulfilled, and trusting Him can be harder and slower than taking matters into our own hands.
Finally, Esau’s cry reminds us that losses can be real even when they come through someone else’s wrongdoing. It is good to acknowledge grief honestly, to seek help when a relationship has been broken, and to bring that pain before God rather than letting it fester into bitterness.
Questions for Reflection
- Where in your own family or friendships have you seen favoritism shape how people behave toward one another?
- When have you been tempted to take a shortcut to get something you believed God had promised you, and what happened?
- What does Esau’s response to his loss teach you about handling disappointment without letting it turn into hatred?
- How does the chapter’s picture of God working through a flawed family encourage you about your own failures?
- What practical step could you take this week to address a tension or hurt that has been growing in one of your relationships?
A Prayer From Genesis 27
Lord, you see the families I live among and the hearts within my own, including the places where I have wanted what was not mine to take. Forgive me for the times I have chosen favor over fairness, or shortcuts over trust. Give me honesty to name my hurts and courage to bring them to you before they grow into bitterness. Help me to trust your promises even when waiting feels long, and to love the people around me with patience and truth. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jacob receive Isaac’s blessing instead of Esau?
Rebekah and Jacob deceived Isaac, who was old and nearly blind, by having Jacob pose as Esau. The blessing was given based on that deception, though the chapter shows that God’s purposes continued to move forward through the family.
Could Isaac take back the blessing once he discovered the deception?
The text shows Isaac trembling and then affirming that Jacob will be blessed, and he gives Esau only a lesser word. Within the story, a spoken blessing is treated as binding once it has been given.
What is the main message of Genesis 27?
The chapter shows how favoritism and deceit damage a family and its relationships, while also showing that God’s promises continue to unfold despite human failure. It invites readers to consider honesty, trust and the costs of grasping for what seems to be a blessing.
