Genesis 27:39

“And Isaac his father answered, and said vnto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatnesse of the earth, and of the dew of heauen from aboue.”

1611 King James Version (KJV)




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Other Translations

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;
- King James Version

Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, "Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above.
- New American Standard Version (1995)

And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling, And of the dew of heaven from above.
- American Standard Version (1901)

Then Isaac his father made answer and said to him, Far from the fertile places of the earth, and far from the dew of heaven on high will your living-place be:
- Basic English Bible

And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above;
- Darby Bible

And Isaac his father answered, and said to him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
- Webster's Bible

Isaac his father answered him, "Behold, of the fatness of the earth will be your dwelling, and of the dew of the sky from above.
- World English Bible

And Isaac his father answereth and saith unto him, `Lo, of the fatness of the earth is thy dwelling, and of the dew of the heavens from above;
- Youngs Literal Bible

And Isaac his father answered and said unto him: Behold, of the fat places of the earth shall be thy dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above;
- Jewish Publication Society Bible

Bible commentary

Wesley's Notes for Genesis 27:39


27:39 Esau likewise obtained a blessing: yet it was far short of Jacob's. In Jacob's blessing the dew of heaven is put first, as that which he most valued and desired: in Esau's the fatness of the earth is put first, for that was it which he had the principal regard to. Esau hath these, but Jacob hath them from God's hand. God give thee the dew of heaven, #Ge 27:28|. It was enough to have the possession, but Jacob desired it by promise. Jacob shall have dominion over his brethren, for the Israelites often ruled over the Edomites. Esau shall have dominion, he shall gain some power, but shall never have dominion over his brother: we never find that the Jews were sold into the hands of the Edomites, or that they oppressed them. But the great difference is, that there is nothing in Esau's blessing that points at Christ, nothing that brings either him or his into the church, and without that the fatness of the earth, and the plunder of the field, will stand him in little stead. Thus Isaac by faith blessed them both, according as their lot should be.


Discussion for Genesis 27

  • Lexy
    Genesis 27 is a wonderful chapter in the Bible that teaches us how favoritism displayed among your children is very damaging to the entire family structure! Isaac loved Esau and Rebecca loved Jacob. Rebecca knew God told her the oldest would serve the youngest, but after she heard what Isaac told Esau, she feared Jacob would not inherit the Birth right. Rebekah schemed and plotted with Jacob to order things in his favor...but everything was already in Jacob 's favor! God knew his heart even before he was born..Esau DESPISED his Birthright but Jacob dreamed about the birthright! Esau lost his birthright not because he was starving with hunger, or because of Rebecca 's scheming, but because he "despised " it!...Despise means to regard with contempt or scorn To dislike intensely to loathe...this is how Esau truly felt about the birthright...God chose Jacob over Esau because of foreknowledge..God said, "Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated. " Esau was a hater of the things of God! He even chose Hittite women over godly women knowing it broke his parent 's heart! It was proper and fitting that Esau lost the Birthright...this chapter teaches us to honor and never despise the gifts of God.
  • Bubba Mitchell for verse 3
    I am a Hunter Education instructor in the state of Arkansas...Almost every class, I have some person say I don 't believe in hunting...I ask them "Do you believe in the Bible? " every time it is yes...then I tell them to read Gen 27:3....
  • Dewey J
    Larry Ely, good post. I do agree with Bibi 's comments on reaping and sowing also one of self control. If Esau had any true value for almighty God and his blessings he would not have sold blessing for what some consider a Big Mac attack. All four parties are to be blamed he for their human weakness and lack of faith in God by attempting to bring to past the divine purpose of God by pitiful human means. God told Rebekah before the birth of her sons when she inquired of him when she was having difficulty with her pregnancy. God explained to her that there were two nations of people in her womb and that the elder Esau was going to serve the younger Jacob Gen. 25:23. God knew the character of both men and which one would value him and his blessings more Jocob and made the decision of who was to receive him based on the content of their character Rom. 9:15. God bless all and in the understanding of his word. Glory be to God in the high through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
  • Dewey J
    John Paul, that 's incorrect Esau 's descendants didn 't rescue Jacob 's descendants from slavery. God did from slavery in Egypt. God bless us all and in the reading and understanding of his word. Amen.
  • Larry Ely
    I cannot quite agree with the above comment about "self-control ", etc. First, Esau sold his birthright for a meal, true, but the narrative makes it clear that he wasn 't just a little hungry, his starvation was life threatening, perhaps 25:32 . So Jacob, pressing his advantage, says in effect, OK, I 'll save your life for a price. Not exactly the loving brother. And as to the trickery and deceit in stealing the blessing intended for Esau, well Jacob was wise as a serpent, but I will not comment on the gentle as a dove part. It is interesting the belief about blessing illustrated here. In his heart, Isaac was blessing Esau he believed it was Esau, and Jacob lied and said he was Esau, so how was Isaac NOT blessing Esau? And of this blessing business, is it implicit here that God somehow is obliged to bring to pass what is promised in the blessing? Then, would omnipotent and omniscient God be obliged to honor a blessing stolen through fraud and deceit? The story, I believe, is rich in the beliefs of a bygone time, and in human nature, which hasn 't changed at all since then. The mother who schemes to defraud her husband to the advantage of her favorite son, the envy of the younger son and his schemes against his slightly older--and perhaps not too bright--brother. The love hate of fraternal twins. And the petty schemes and dreams of all of these very human sinners somehow coming together to advance the Plan of God Almighty.
  • Bibi
    This chapter reminds me of reaping sowing and self control. Esau reaped what he sowed, he sold his birthright for 1 meal. He is such a barbarian that he did not consider the value of his birthright. He had no self control, because he was hungry. When Jesus , who descended from Jacob 's lineage, was hungry after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he did not allow himself to be tricked! Esau 's lineage was not capable of producing a man like Jesus! Esau had already grieved his parents by marrying Hittite women. Jacob was wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove. Also Jacob obeyed his mother by following her instructions, which God allowed, because God hated Esau. He knew that Esau would not be obedient and he would also raise his children as wild brutes. This would have grieved God, Abraham, and Sarah.

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