The Geneva Bible Translation Notes, [1599], at sacred-texts.com
Genesis Chapter 27
And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring [it] to me, that I may eat; that my (a) soul may bless thee before I die.
(a) The carnal affection he had for his son made him forget what God spoke to his wife. (Gen 25:23).
(b) Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
(b) This trickery is worthy of blame because she should have waited for God to perform his promise.
And his mother said unto him, (c) Upon me [be] thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me [them].
(c) The assurance of God's decree made her bold.
And Jacob said unto his father, (d) I [am] Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
(d) Although Jacob was assured of this blessing by faith: yet he did evil to seek it by lies, even more because he abuses God's name through it.
And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The (e) voice [is] Jacob's voice, but the hands [are] the hands of Esau.
(e) This declares that he suspected something, yet God would not have his decree altered.
And Isaac (f) trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where [is] he that hath taken venison, and brought [it] me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, [and] he shall be blessed.
(f) In perceiving his error, by appointing his heir against God's sentence pronounced before.
And he said, Is not he rightly named (g) Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
(g) In (Gen 25:26) he was so called because he held his brother by the heel, as though he would overthrow him: and therefore he is here called an overthrower, or deceiver.
And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made
him (h) thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
(h) For Isaac did this as he was the minister and prophet of God.
And (i) by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt (k) serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
(i) Because your enemies will be all around you.
(k) Which was fulfilled in his posterity the Idumeans: who were tributaries for a time to Israel, and later came to freedom.
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; (l) then will I slay my brother Jacob.
(l) Hypocrites only abstain from doing evil for fear of men.
And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, (m) as touching thee, doth comfort himself, [purposing] to kill thee.
(m) He hopes to recover his birthright by killing you.
Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget [that] which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be (n) deprived also of you both in one day?
(n) For the wicked son will kill the godly: and the plague of God will later come on the wicked son.
And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the (o) daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the land, (p) what good shall my life do me?
(o) Who were Esau's wives.
(p) By this she persuaded Isaac to agree to Jacob's leaving.