And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring [it] to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
4. that my soul may bless thee ] Cf. 19, 25, 31. See note on Gen 12:13. A sacrificial meal is not intended. The strengthening food is from the chase, not the flesh of domestic animals.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 4. Savoury meat] matammim, from taam, to taste or relish; how dressed we know not, but its name declares its nature.
That I may eat] The blessing which Isaac was to confer on his son was a species of Divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate ceremonies. As eating and drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose that something of this kind was essentially necessary on this occasion, and that Isaac could not convey the right till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing. As Isaac was now old, and in a feeble and languishing condition, it was necessary that the flesh used on this occasion should be prepared so as to invite the appetite, that a sufficiency of it might be taken to revive and recruit his drooping strength, that he might be the better able to go through the whole of this ceremony.
This seems to be the sole reason why savoury meat is so particularly mentioned in the text. When we consider,
1. That no covenant was deemed binding unless the parties had eaten together;
2. That to convey this blessing some rite of this kind was necessary; and,
3. That Isaac’s strength was now greatly exhausted, insomuch that he supposed himself to be dying; we shall at once see why meat was required on this occasion, and why that meat was to be prepared so as to deserve the epithet of savoury.
As I believe this to be the true sense of the place, I do not trouble my readers with interpretations which I suppose to be either exceptionable or false.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Quest. Why doth he require that he may eat before he bless him?
Answ.
1. That being refreshed and delighted therewith, his spirit might be more cheerful, and so the fitter for the giving of this prophetical benediction; for which reason also the prophet Elisha called for a minstrel ere he could utter his prophecy, 2Ki 3:15.
2. By the special direction of Divine Providence, that Esaus absence might give Jacob the advantage of getting the blessing. He speaks not here of a common and customary blessing, which parents may bestow upon any of their children as and when they please; but of the last, solemn, extraordinary, and prophetical benediction, whereby these holy patriarchs did by Gods appointment, and with his concurrence, constitute one of their sons heir, not only of their inheritance, but of Abrahams covenant, and all the promises, both temporal and spiritual, belonging to it. As for the oracle delivered to Rebekah, which transferred this blessing upon Jacob, Gen 25:23, either Isaac knew not of it, not being sufficiently informed thereof by Rebekah; or he did not thoroughly understand it; or he might apprehend that it was to be accomplished not in the persons of Esau and Jacob, but in their posterity; or at this time it was quite out of his mind; or he was induced to neglect it through his passionate affection to his son Esau.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. make . . . savory meatperhapsto revive and strengthen him for the duty; or rather, “as eatingand drinking” were used on all religious occasions, he could notconvey the right, till he had eaten of the meat provided for thepurpose by him who was to receive the blessing [ADAMCLARKE] (compare Ge18:7).
that my soul may blesstheeIt is difficult to imagine him ignorant of the divinepurpose (compare Ge 25:23). Butnatural affection, prevailing through age and infirmity, prompted himto entail the honors and powers of the birthright on his elder son;and perhaps he was not aware of what Esau had done (Ge25:34).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And make me savoury meat, such as I love,…. For, though he had lost his sight, he had not lost his taste, nor his appetite for savoury food:
and bring [it] to me, that I may eat; this, was enjoined to make trial of his filial affection and duty to him, before he blessed him:
that my soul may bless thee before I die; not only that he might do it with cheerfulness and vivacity, having eaten a comfortable meal, and being refreshed with it, but that having had proof of his son’s duty and affection to him, he might confer the blessing on him heartily: this blessing was not an ordinary and common one, but what parents used to bestow upon their children at the time of their death, or a little before it; and good men oftentimes did this under a spirit of prophecy, declaring what would be the case and circumstances of their children in time to come; and particularly the principal part of the blessing of Isaac, which Abraham had entailed upon him by divine direction, and he thought to have entailed on Esau his firstborn, was the promise of the descent of the Messiah from him and his seed, and of the possession of the land of Canaan by them: and this shows that Rebekah had not made known the oracle to Isaac, that the “elder should serve the younger”,
Ge 25:23: or, if she had, he had forgot, or did not understand it, and might think it respected not the persons of his sons, but their posterity; or however, from a natural affection for Esau his firstborn, and that the blessing and inheritance might go in the common channel, he was desirous he should have it; and he might also be ignorant of Esau’s having sold his birthright to Jacob, or that he made no account of it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
4. That my soul may bless thee. Wonderfully was the faith of the holy man blended with a foolish and inconsiderate carnal affection. The general principle of faith flourishes in his mind, when, in blessing his son, he consigns to him, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, the right of the inheritance which had been divinely promised to himself. Meanwhile, he is blindly carried away by the love of his firstborn son, to prefer him to the other; and in this way he contends against the oracle of God. For he could not be ignorant of that which God had pronounced before the children were born. If any one would excuse him, inasmuch as he had received no command from God to change the accustomed order of nature by preferring the younger to the elder; this is easily refuted: because when he knew that the firstborn was rejected, he still persisted in his excessive attachment. Again, in neglecting to inquire respecting his duty, when he had been informed of the heavenly oracle by his wife, his indolence was by no means excusable. For he was not altogether ignorant of his calling; therefore, his obstinate attachment to his son was a kind of blindness, which proved a greater obstacle to him than the external dimness of his eyes. Yet this fault, although deserving of reprehension, did not deprive the holy man of the right of pronouncing a blessing; but plenary authority remained with him, and the force and efficacy of his testimony stood entire, just as if God himself had spoken from heaven; to which subject I shall soon again allude.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) Savoury meat.On the rare occasions on which an Arab sheik tastes flesh, it is flavoured with almonds, pistachio nuts, and raisins. It would thus not be easy for Isaac to distinguish the taste of the flesh of a kid from that of an antelope. As the Arabs always spare their own flocks and herds, the capture of a wild animal gives them the greater pleasure, and a feast thus provided seemed to the patriarch a proper occasion for the solemn decision which son should inherit the promises made to Abraham.
That my soul may bless thee.We gather from the solemn blessing given to his sons by Jacob (Genesis 49) that this was a prophetic act, by which the patriarchs, under the influence of the Spirit, and in expectation of death, decided to which son should belong the birthright. Jacob when dying bestowed it on Judah (Gen. 27:8-12). But here Isaac resisted the Spirit; for the clear warning had been given that the elder should serve the younger (Gen. 25:23). Isaac may have been moved to this act by indignation at the manner in which Esau had been induced to sell the birthright, and in annulling that sale he would have been within his rights; but he was not justified in disregarding the voice of prophecy, nor in his indifference to Esaus violation of the Abrahamic law in marrying heathen women. And thus he becomes the victim of craft and treachery, while Jacob is led on to a deed which was the cause of endless grief to him and Rebekah, and has stained his character for ever. But had Jacob possessed the same high standard of honour as distinguished David afterwards, he would equally have received the blessing, but without the sin of deception practised upon his own father.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. That I may eat; that my soul may bless thee “There appears a singular mixture of the carnal and the spiritual in this . Isaac recognises his own character as that of the priestly and prophetic head of his house, privileged to bless as father and priest, and to foretell the fortunes of his family in succession to Abraham in his office of the prophet of God . Yet his carnal affection causes him to forget the response to the inquiry of Rebekah, “the elder shall serve the younger,” and the fact that Esau had sold his birthright and alienated it from him forever by a solemn oath . Moreover, that his heart may be the more warmed to him whom he desires to bless, he seeks to have some of that savoury meat brought to him such as he loved . ” Speaker’s Commentary .
This blessing was the same as that mentioned, Gen 28:4 .
Gen 27:4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring [it] to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
Ver. 4. That my soul may bless thee before I die. ] The words of dying men are living oracles. It was the patriarch’s care, and must be ours, to leave a blessing behind us; to seek the salvation of our children while we live, and to say something to the same purpose when we die, that may stick by them. So when we are laid in our graves, our stock remains, goes forward, and shall do till the day of doom.
such as I love. See verses: Gen 27:27, Gen 27:9, Gen 27:14 and Gen 25:28.
my soul = myself. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.
bless thee. He must have heard that he was to bless Jacob, for it was “by faith” he ultimately did so (Heb 11:20); and it came “by hearing” (Rom 10:17). “The will of the flesh” made him wish to bless Esau (Compare Gen 27:4 with Gen 25:28). But his faith in the end overcame “the will of the flesh” in him.
that I may eat: The blessing, says Dr. A. Clarke, which Isaac was to confer on his son, was a species of divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate ceremonies. As eating and drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose, that something of this kind was essentially necessary on this occasion; and that Isaac could not convey the right, till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing.
that my: Gen 27:7, Gen 27:23, Gen 27:25, Gen 27:27, Gen 14:19, Gen 24:60, Gen 28:3, Gen 48:9, Gen 48:15-20, Gen 49:28, Lev 9:22, Lev 9:23, Deu 33:1-29, Jos 14:13, Jos 22:6, Luk 2:34, Luk 24:51, Heb 11:20
Reciprocal: Gen 25:28 – he did eat of his venison Gen 27:9 – savoury Gen 27:14 – mother Gen 27:19 – that thy Gen 27:31 – eat Gen 28:1 – blessed Luk 24:50 – he lifted Joh 1:13 – nor of the will of the
27:4 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.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes