The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 396

xxxi. 41)-and his eyes were dim,-litcrally, conjuuctiou itlV.il followed by a. future com• 1oere jailing in st1·ength, hence becoming monly expresse~ 'a purpose (cf. Exod. ix. 14) dim (1 Sam. iii. 2). In describing Jacob's -my soul ma.y bloss thee-notwithstanding decnying vision a different verb is employed the oracle (eh. xxv. 23) uttered so mo.ny (eh. xlviii. 10)-so that he could not see, (fifty-seven or seventy-seven) years ago, Iso.ao -literally, from seei1!1J; )Q mth the inf. appears to have clung to the belief that Esau constr. conveying the idea of receding from \Vas tho destined heir of the covenant bless- tl10 state of ]?C:rfect vision (cf. eh. xvi. 2; in~ ; qU<edam .fui.t cmcitatis species, gum xxid. 29 ; vide Gesenius, • Hebrew Gram- illi magi,s obsti.ti.t guam e.xterna oculorum mar,' § 132)-he called Esau his eldest son, caligo (Calvin)-before I die. -Esau was born before his twin brother Ver. 6. -And Rebekah (who, though Jacob (eh, x:xv. 25)-and said unto him, My younger than Isaac, must also have been son :-i. e. my special son, my beloved son, old) hea.rd when Isa.ao spake-literally, in the language indicating fondness and par- the speaking of Isaac; :;i. with the inf. tialitr (eh. xxv. 28)-and he (Esau) said forming a periphrasis for the gerund, and unto him, Behold, here am L being commonly rendered by when (eh. xxiv. Yer. 2.-And he (i. e. Isaac) said, Behold 30; xxxiii. 18), the subordinated noun being now, I am old, and know not the day of my changed in translation into the subject of death. Isaac had manifestly become appre- the sentence (vide Ewald, 'Heb. Synt.,' § hensive of the near approach of dissolution. 304)-to Esa.u his son (to which tho "her His failing sight, and probably the recollec- son" of ver. 6 stands in contrast). And tion that Ishmael, his half-brother, had died Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, at 137 (if that was Isaac's age at this time; -literally, to hunt hunti'Tl{J (vide on vor. 3) ~•ide supi-a), occasioned tho suspicion that and to bring it--i. e. " the savoury mea.t" his mrn end could not be remote, though he or "delicious food," a.s directed (ver. 4). lirnd forty-three or sixty-three years longer, Vers. 6, 7.-A.nd Rebekah (having already according to the calculation adopted, expiring formed a plan for diverting the patriarclial at the ripe age of 180 (i,-ide eh. =. 28). blessing from Esau, whose habit of life and Ver. 3.-Now therefore take, I pra.y thee, utterly unspiritual character may perhaps thy wea.pons,-the word "weapon" signify- have recalled to her mind and confirmed tho ing a utensil, vessel, or finished instrument declaration of the oracle concerning Jo.cob's of any sort (cf. eh. xx:iv. 53 ; x:xxi. 37 ; xlv. precedence) spake unto Ja.cob her son,--i. e. 20). Here it manifestly denotes weapons her favourite, in contrast to Esau, Isaac's employed in hunting, and in particular those son (ver. 6)-sa.ying, Behold, I hea.rd thy next specified-thy quiver-the a'11'a{ AEyo- father speak unto Esau thy brother, sa.ying, uwov, ~?l:l from 1"171;1 to hang, properly is Bring me venison (vide on ver. 3), and ma.ke me savoury mea.t, that I ma.y ea.t (literally, "that which is suspended;" hence a quiver, and I shall eat), a.nd bless thee - the ,papirpav (LXX.), pharetram (Vutgate), length~ned form of the future in this and which co=only depends from the shoulders or girdle (Aben Ezra, Rosenmiiller, Keil, the preceding verb (cf. n?;:ik' in ver. 4) is Kalisch, et alii), though by some it is expressive of Isaac's self - excitement end rendered "sword" (Onkelos, Syriac)-a.nd emphatic determination-before the Lord. thy bow (vide eh. xxi. 16), and go out to The word Jehovah, by modern criticism the field,-i. e. the open country inhabited regarded as a sign of divided authorship, is by wild beasts, as opposed to cities, villages, satisfactorily explained by remembering that or camps (cf. eh. x:xv. 27)-and ta.ke me Rebeka.h ill speakiDg not of the blessing ot some venison-literally, hwnt for me hunt- God's general providence, but of the highe1 i1!1J, i. e. the produce of hunting, as in eh. benediction of the covena.nt (Hengstenberg). XXV. 28. The phraso, though not included in Isaac's Ver. 4.-And ma.ke me savoury mea.t,- address to Esau, noed not be regarded as duo " delicious food," from a root whose primary to Rebekah's invention. She may have idea is to taste, or try the flavour, of a thing. underatood it to be implied in her husband's Schultens observes that the corresponding langunge, though it was not expressed (cf. Arabic term is specially apy!ied to dishes eh. xxiv. 20). That it was designedly made of flesh taken in huntmg, and highly omitted by Isaa.c in consequence of the esteemed by nomade tribes (vide Gesenius, worldly chara.ctcr of Esau appears as little p. 467)-such as I love (cf. eh. xxv. 28, the likely as that it was deliberately inserted by ground of his partiality for Esau), a.nd bring Rebekah to whet her favourite's a.mbition it to me, that I ma.y ea.t ;-" Though Isaac (Kalisch). As to mea.ning, the sense ma.y be was blind and weak in his eyes, yet it seem- that this patriarchal benediction was to be eth his body was of a strong co 1stitution, bestowed sincerely (Menochius ), in presence seeing he was able to eat of wild flesh, which and by tho authority of God (Ainsworth, is of harder digestion" (Willet)-tha.t-the B11sh, Clericus) ; but the use of the term CH. XXYII. 1-14., THE: BOOK OF GENESIS. 3M