Genesis 27:1

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old,.... He is generally thought to be about one hundred and thirty seven years of age at this time, which was just the age of his brother Ishmael when he

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.

GENESIS CHAPTER 27 Isaac being aged, sends Esau for venison, that he might eat thereof, and bless him, . Esau obeys his father, . Rebekah hearing it, tells Jacob, ,7. Her contrivance and advice to him to intercept the blessing, . Jacob is afraid of a curse instead of a blessing, ,12. His mother encourageth him, . He complies; puts on Esau’ s raiment, and the skins of the kids; goes with the venison his mother prepared: Isaac eats of it, and blesseth him, . Esau brings the venison he had taken, ,31. Isaac is exceedingly surprised, but confirms the blessing on Jacob, ,33. Esau weeps bitterly, and prays for a blessing, . Expostulates with his father, and obtains one, . Esau hates Jacob, . Rebekah hears of it, . She advises Jacob to go to her kindred, ,44. Complains of Esau’ s wives to Isaac, . 1700 Isaac was about one hundred and thirty-seven years old. He could not see; which was ordered by God’ s wise providence, not only for the exercise of Isaac’ s patience, but also as a means to transfer Esau’ s right to Jacob.

Genesis 27:1 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.Ver. 1. Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim.] Old age is of itself a disease, and the sink of all diseases. This Solomon sweetly sets forth by a continued allegory, Ubi quot lumina imo flumina orationis exerit saith one. In general, he calls it "the evil day, the years that have no pleasure in them." In particular, the senses all fail; the hands tremble; the legs buckle; the teeth cannot do their office, as being either lost or loosened; "the silver cord," that is, the marrow of their backs, is consumed; "the golden ewer," that is, the brainpan, broke; "the pitcher at the well," that is, the veins at the liver; "the wheel at the cistern," that is, the head, which draws the power of life from the heart; all these worn weak, and wanting to their office. So that sleep faileth; "desire faileth"; neither spring nor summer (signified by the almond tree and grasshopper) shall affect with pleasure; "the daughters of music shall be brought low," as they were in old Barzillai; "the sun, moon, and stars are darkened," for any delight they take in their sweet shine; yea, "the clouds return after rain"; a continual succession of miseries, like April weather, as one shower is unburdened, another is brewed, and the sky is still overcast with clouds. Lo, such is old age. And is this a fit present for God? wilt thou give him the dregs, the bottom, the very last sands, thy dotage, which thyself and friends are weary of? "Offer it now to thy prince, will he be pleased with thee"? The Circassians, a kind of mongrel Christians, as they baptize not their children till the eighth year, so they enter not into the Church, the gentlemen specially, till the sixtieth year, but hear divine service standing outside the temple; that is to any, till through age they grow unable to continue their rapines and robberies, to which sin that nation is exceedingly addicted: so dividing their time between sin and devotion; dedicating their youth to rapine, and their old age to repentance. But God will not be so put off. He is "a great King," and stands upon his seniority. In the Levitical law, there were three sorts of firstfruits: 1. Of the ears of corn, offered about the Passover; 2. Of the loaves, offered about Pentecost; 3. About the end of the year in Autumn. Now of the first two God had a part, but not of the last: to teach us, that he will accept of the services of our youth or middle-age: but for old age, vix aut ne vix quidem .

G: UPON THE OF JACOB’S LIFE (Genesis 27) The elaborate calculations of Lightfoot, and most Jewish and Christian commentators, intended to show that when Jacob set out upon his journey to Haran, he and Esau were each about 77 years of age, and Isaac their father about 137, though based apparently upon the letter of Scripture, are so contrary to its facts that evidently there must be some error in them. Fortunately there are several dates which are open to no doubt, and if we start with these, it may prove not Impossible to arrive at more trustworthy conclusions. When, then, Jacob went down into Egypt, he was 130 years of age (Genesis 46:9), and as Joseph when he “stood before Pharaoh” was 30 (Genesis 41:46), and as his first years of power were the seven years of plenty, and there had been already two years of famine when he made himself known to his brethren, he was plainly about 14 years of age when his father joined him. Now he was a lad of 17 when sold into Egypt (Genesis 37:2), and as he was born before the contract to serve Laban for the speckled cattle (Genesis 30:25), which lasted for six years (Genesis 31:41), he was about 7 when Jacob returned to Canaan. It follows, therefore, that Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born. Now the usual calculations allow only twenty years for Jacob’s sojourn in Padanaram, of which the first seven were spent in service before Leah and Rachel were given him in marriage. If from the twenty, we subtract these seven years and the seven years of Joseph’s age, there remain only six years for the birth of Leah’s six sons and the interval of her barrenness; and undeniably the narrative would be guilty of very remarkable exaggeration in its account of Rachel’s childlessness, and Rachel herself of excessive impatience, considering that at the end of six years she gave birth herself to a son, and in the interval had given her maid Bilhah to Jacob, who had by her two sons; and as the birth of these was the occasion to Rachel of very unseemly exultation over her sister (Genesis 30:6; Genesis 30:8), her conduct can only be accounted for by the fact that Leah had already a numerous offspring when Rachel gave Bilhah to her husband. The case of Leah is still plainer. She bears four sons, after which she “left bearing” (Genesis 29:35), and this barrenness continued so long that she gave Zilpah as her substitute to Jacob, who bare him two sons, Gad and Asher. Now neither Rachel nor Leah would have resorted to this expedient until they utterly despaired of having children themselves; and Leah herself describes it as an act of great self-sacrifice (Genesis 30:18). Zilpah’s sons both seem to have been born in this period of Leah’s barrenness; for we find that Jacob had entirely discarded Leah, and it was only at Rachel’s request that he visited her again.

CHAPTER XXVII Isaac, grown old and feeble, and apprehending the approach of death, desires his son Esau to provide some savoury meat for him, that having eaten of it he might convey to him the blessing connected with the right of primogeniture, 1-4. Rebekah hearing of it, relates the matter to Jacob, and directs him how to personate his brother, and by deceiving his father, obtain the blessing, 5-10. Jacob hesitates, 11, 12; but being counselled and encouraged by his mother, he at last consents to use the means she prescribes, 13, 14. Rebekah disguises Jacob, and sends him to personate his brother, 15-17. Jacob comes to his father, and professes himself to be Esau, 18. 19. Isaac doubts, questions, and examines him closely, but does not discover the deception, 20-24. He eats of the savoury meat, and confers the blessing upon Jacob, 25-27. In what the blessing consisted, 28, 29. Esau arrives from the field with the meat he had gone to provide, and presents himself before his father, 30, 31. Isaac discovers the fraud of Jacob, and is much affected, 32, 33. Esau is greatly distressed on hearing that the blessing had been received by another, 34. Isaac accuses Jacob of deceit, 35. Esau expostulates, and prays for a blessing, 36. Isaac describes the blessing which he has already conveyed, 37. Esau weeps, and earnestly implores a blessing, 38. Isaac pronounces a blessing on Esau, and prophecies that his posterity should, in process of time, cease to be tributary to the posterity of Jacob, 39, 40. Esau purposes to kill his brother, 41. Rebekah hears of it, and counsels Jacob to take refuge with her brother Laban in Padanaram, 42-45. She professes to be greatly alarmed, lest Jacob should take any of the Canaanites to wife, 41. NOTES ON CHAP. XXVII Verse 1. Isaac was old] It is conjectured, on good grounds, that Isaac was now about one hundred and seventeen years of age, and Jacob about fifty-seven; though the commonly received opinion makes Isaac one hundred and thirty-seven, and Jacob seventy-seven; but See Clarke on Genesis 31:55, c. And his eyes were dim] This was probably the effect of that affliction, of what kind we know not, under which Isaac now laboured and from which, as well as from the affliction, he probably recovered, as it is certain he lived forty if not forty-three years after this time, for he lived till the return of Jacob from Padan-aram; Genesis 35:27-29.

1. Isaac was old] According to P, Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah (Genesis 25:20); sixty years old when Esau and Jacob were born (Genesis 25:26); and a hundred years old when Esau married Judith and Basemath (Genesis 26:34). his eyes were dim] The narrative assumes that Isaac is in extreme old age, and feeling the nearness of death (cf. Genesis 48:10). Cf. 1 Kings 14:4. he called Esau] His favourite son (cf. Genesis 25:28).

- Isaac Blessing His Sons The life of Isaac falls into three periods. During the first seventy-five years he is contemporary with his father. For sixty-one years more his son Jacob remains under the paternal roof.

1. Isaac was old — One hundred and thirty-seven years. This we ascertain from Jacob’s history, who was not born until Isaac was sixty years old. Genesis 25:26.