The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 397

Jel1ovnh rather points to the idea that Re- Ver. 11.-And lacob (who was not yet beknh regarded Isaac simply "as the instru- such e.n adept at trickery as he afterwards ment of the living and personal God, who becall!e, and who, if he had no scruples of directed the concerns of the chosen race " couscience in either imposing on a senile (Hengstcnberg). Before my death. Sinco parent or despoiling an open-hearted brother, Rebekah makes no remark as to the ground- was yet averse to bein" detected in his frauds lessness of Isaac's fear, it is not improbable ~ deceivcrn usually ~re) said to Rebekah that she too shared in her bed-riclden hus- h1~ mother, B_ehold, Esau my b.other is a band's expectations that already he was "in hau-y man (mde eh. xxv. 25) and I am a the presence of" his end. Ver. 8.-Now therefore, my son,-Jacob smooth man-i'~IJ, smooth (opposed to "l'l/t?, at this timo was not a lad, but a grown man hairy) ; the primary idea of which is to cut off of mature years (if Isaac was 137, he must the hair. Cf. xa:l.ro!:, xa:l.,t ro:l.a(1 y;\..urvr; have been 77), which shows that in the y;l.,oioi:, y:l.iaxpoi:; glacies, glaber, gladius: following transaction he was ratlier an ac- gluco; glut.en, gfau, gltittn, glas-all of complice than a tool-obey my voice accord- which convoy the notion of smoothness (virle ing to that which I commaud thee. We Gcsenius, p. 283). can scarcely here think of a mother laying Ver. 12. - My father peradventure will her imperative instructions on a docile and feel me, aud I shall seem to him as a de- unquestioning child; but of a wily woman ceiver ;-literally, shall be in his eyes as a detailin-? her well-concocted scheme to a son scqffer (Keil, Lange), with the idea of mock- whorn she discerns to be possessed of a like ing at his aged sire's infirmities-w!: rara- crafty disposition with herself, and whom ,ppo11w11 (LXX.); or ~ a deceiver, an im- she seeks to gain over to her stratagem by postor, one who causes to 0"0 astray (Vulo-atc reminding him of the close and endearing Roscnmiillcr, Ainsworth, .Murphy) ; tl-.~ngl~ relationship in which they stand to one perhaps both senses should bo included, the another. verb l/l/~, to scoff, meaning primarily to Vers. 0, 10.-Go now to the fiock, and stammer, and hence to mislead by imperfect fetch me-literally, takef01· me, i. e. for my speech, and thus to cause to wander or lead purposes (cf. eh. xv. OJ-from thence two astray, l'l~~ (vide Gesenius, p. 870, an,l Ka- good kids of the goats. According to J o.rchi lisch, p. 606)-and I shell bring a curse- kids were selected as being the nearest approach to the flesh of wild animals. Two ;,~~~ (from ',?~, to be light, hence to be were specified, it has been thought, either despised) signifies first on expression of con- to extract from both the choicest morsels tempt, flntl then a more solemn imprecation (Menochius), or to have the appearance of -upon me, and not a blessing. animals taken in hunting (Rosenmilller), or Ver. 13.-And his mother said unto him, to make an ample provision as of venison Upon me be thy curse, my son (cf. eh. xliii. (Lange), or to make n second experiment, if 9 ; 1 8nm. xxv. 24 ; 2 Sam. xiv. 9; :Matt. tl10 first failed (Willet). And I will make xxvii. 25). Tempted to regnrd Rcbeknh's them-probably concealing any difference in words as the utterance of a bold and un- tasto by means of condiments, though Isaac's scrupulous woman (Aben Ezra), we ought p11lato would not be sensitive in consequence perhaps to view them as inspired by faith in of nge and debility-savoury meat for thy the Divine promise, which had nlrcndy indi- father, such as he loveth (vide ver. 4): and cated that of her two sons Jacob should have thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he the precedence (Willet, Colvin, Lango), nnd may eat (litorally, and he shal,t eat), aud that accordingly there was every reason to that he may bless thee-ir~ "l~~~. in order anticipate not a mnlediction, but a bene- that, from the idea of pnssing over to that diction. Ouly obey my voice (i. e. do as I which one desires to nttain ; less fully in direct you, follow my instructions), and go ver. 4-before his death. Clc11rly Rebekah fetch me them-or, go nnd tnko for mo (sc. wns onticipnting Isaac's oarly dissolution, the two kids I spoke of). else why this indecent haste to forestall Ver. H.-And he went (sc. to the /lock), Es11u 1 There is no renson to surmise the.t and fetched,-or, rather, took (sc. the two sho believed nny connection to subsist be- kids as directed) and brought them (nfter tween the eating and the benediction, though slaughter, of course) to hie mother: and his she probably imagined that the supposed mother made savoury meat, such as his prompt obedienee of l1aac's son would father loved. All this implies that Rebekah stimulate his feeble heart to epeak (Rosen- reckoned on Esnu's nbsence for n considerable muller), timr . ~rh11ps throughout t,he entiro day,  836 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [oe. XXVII. 1-14,