Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother, Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.
- KJV And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
- NKJV And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
- NASB And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
- NLT But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Deceived by the hairy hands, Isaac fails to recognize Jacob and blesses him.
Overview
The goatskin disguise convinces Isaac, and he proceeds to bless the wrong son in his own eyes. The narrator notes plainly that Isaac did not recognize Jacob. The blessing about to be spoken would prove irrevocable, advancing God's purpose through human deception that God neither caused nor approved.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Gen 27:16She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
- Heb 11:20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.
- Rom 9:11–12Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 27:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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