The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 399

EXPOSITION. Ver. 15.-And Rebekah took goodly rai- said, :Here am I· who art thou, my son J ment of her eldest son Esau,-literslly, the "He thought be recognised the voice of robes of Esau I.er son the elder-the desir- Jacob ; his suspicions were aroused ; he knew able, i e. the handsome ones. The ,~# was the crafty disposition of his younger son too an outer garment worn by the Oriental (eh. well; and he felt the duty of extreme care- xxxix. 12, 13, 15; xli 42),-0'ro>.,;, LXX.,- fulness " (Kalisch). and was often made of beautiful and costly Ver. 19.-And Jacob (either not observing materials (cf. 1 Kings xxii. 10), That the or not regarding the trepidation which his clothes mentioned as belonging to Esau were voice caused, but being well schooled by his sacerdotal robes possessed by him as heir of crafty mother, and determined to go throngh the patriarchal priesthood (Jewish Rabbis), with what perhaps he esteemerl a perfectly though regarded by many as a probable con- justifio.ble transaction) said unto his father, jecture (Ainsworth, Bush, Candlish, Clarke, I am Esau thy firstborn. A reply for whicr Wordsworth, 'Speaker's Commentary,' In- laborious excuses have been invented; os tha\. glis), is devoid of proof, e.nd may be pro- Jacob spoke mystically, meaning not that he nounced unlikely, smce the firstbom did not individually, but that his descendants, the serve in the priesthood while his father lived Church, were Isaac's firstbom (Augustine); (Willet, .Alford). They were probably festive or figuratively, as importing that since he garments of the princely hunter (Ke.lisch)- had already bought Esau's birthright, he which were with her in the houae,-not be- might jnstly regard himself wi ~tanding in cause Esau eaw that his wives were disJ?leas- Esau's place (Theodoret, A<J,uiuas). It is ing to his parents (Mercerus, Willet), or better not to attempt vindication of conduct because they were eacred garments (.Ains- which to ordinary minds must ever appear worth, Poole), but probably because Esau, questionable, but rather to hold that" Jacob though mnrried, had not yet quitted the told an officious lie to his father" (Willet). patriarchal household (Kalisch)-and put I have done aocording as thou badest me. them upon J'aoob her younger son. The If the former assertion might be cleared of verb, being in the hiphil, conveys the sonse mendacity, it is difficult to see how this can. of causing Jacob to clothe himself, which By no conceivable sophistry could he con- entirely removes the impression that Jacob vince his conscience that he wo.s 11cting in was a purely involuntnry agent in this deceit- obedience to his f11ther, while he w11s know- ful and deeply dishonourable affoir. ingly implementing the instructions of his Ver. 16.-And she put the skins of the mother, This wo.s Jacob's second lie. Arise, kids of the goats-not European, but Ori- I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison. Lie ental camel-goats, whose wool is black, eilky, three. One lie commonly requires another of a much finer texture than that of the to support or conceal it. Few who enter on former, and sometimes used as a substitute a course of deception stop at one falsehood. for human hair (cf. Cant. iv. 1); vide on this That thy soul may bleBB me. It was the subject Rosenmiiller's 'Scholia,' and com- blessing of the .Abrohamic covenant ha mentaries generally-upon his hands, and craved. upon the smooth of his neok-thus cautiously Yers. 20, 21.-And Isaao (still dissatisfied, providing against detection, in case, anything but still resolving to proceed with caution)said occurring to arouse the old man's suspicions, unto his son, Row is it that thou hast found he should seek, :is in reality he did, to test it so quickly, my son J Giving expression to the accuracy of his now dim sight and dull a natural surprise nt the speedy success which hearing by the sense of touch. had attended Esau's hunting expedition ; an Ver. 17 .-And she gave the savoury meat interrogntion to which Jacob replied with and the bread, which she had prepared, into daring boldness (Murphy), with consummate the hand of her son laoob-who forthwith effrontery (Bush), not without perjury (Cal- proceeded on his unholy errand. vin), and even with reckless blasphemy (Ka- Ver. 18.-And he came unto his father,- lisch, .Alford). And he said, :BecauB& the by this time a bed-ridden invalid (vide vcr. Lord thy God brought it to me. Literally, 19)-and said, My father. If ha attempted caused it to come before me; by the con- to im.itato the voice of Esau, he was mani- currence, of course, of his providence; which, fostly unsuccessful ; the dull ear of tho aged though in one sense true, yet BR used by patient wns yet 11cute enough to detect a ,Jacob was an impious falsehood. Solemn aa ■ trangeness in the speaker's top e. A!lll ht tuis dec)arotiou was, it failed to lull tbe QEN!i:SIS. .: 338 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [cu. XXVII. 16-29,