And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
Parallel translations
- WEB Isaac his father answered him, “Behold, of the fatness of the earth will be your dwelling, and of the dew of the sky from above.
- BSB His father Isaac answered him: “Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of heaven above.
- NKJV Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
- NASB Then his father Isaac answered and said to him, “Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above.
- NLT Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the heaven above.
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
Isaac gives Esau a word about dwelling away from earth's richness and heaven's dew.
Overview
Isaac's words to Esau are often understood as a contrast to Jacob's blessing, foretelling a harder, less fruitful dwelling, though the Hebrew is debated and some render it as 'away from the fatness.' The lesser word fits Esau's position outside the covenant line. It anticipates the distinct destiny of Esau's descendants, the Edomites.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 27:28Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
- Heb 11:20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
- Josh 24:4And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
- Gen 36:6–8And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.
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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 27:39 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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