Genesis 27:1

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
pass	וַיְהִי֙ vay.Hi	H1961	to exist · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Isaac	יִצְחָ֔ק yitz.Chak	H3327	Jitschak (or Isaac) · proper noun, a man's name
old	זָקֵ֣ן za.Ken	H2204	to be old · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
eyes	עֵינָ֖יו 'ei.Nav	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
dim	וַתִּכְהֶ֥יןָ va.tikh.Hei.na	H3543	to be weak · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural
see	מֵרְאֹ֑ת me.re.'Ot	H7200	to see · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
called	וַיִּקְרָ֞א vai.yik.Ra'	H7121	to call out to (i.e. properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Esau	עֵשָׂ֣ו 'e.Sav	H6215	Esav · proper noun, a man's name
eldest	הַגָּדֹ֗ל ha.ga.Dol	H1419	great (in any sense) · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
son	בְּנ֣וֹ be.No	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
said	וַיֹּ֤אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
son	בְּנִ֔י be.Ni	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
said	וַיֹּ֥אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Genesis 48:10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
1 Samuel 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
Genesis 25:23-25 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people sha…
Ecclesiastes 12:3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few…
John 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 27:1-5

Here is, I. Isaac's design to make his will, and to declare Esau his heir. The promise of the Messiah and the land of Canaan was a great trust, first committed to Abraham, inclusive and typical of spiritual and eternal blessings; this, by divine direction, he transmitted to Isaac. Isaac, being now old, and not knowing, or not understanding, or not duly considering, the divine oracle concerning his two sons, that the elder should serve the younger, resolves to entail all the honour and power that were wrapped up in the promise upon Esau his eldest son. In this he was governed more by natural affection, and the common method of settlements, than he ought to have been, if he know (as it is prob…

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Adam Clarke on Genesis 27:1

Isaac was old - It is conjectured, on good grounds, that Isaac was now about one hundred and seventeen years of age, and Jacob about fifty-seven; though the commonly received opinion makes Isaac one hundred and thirty-seven, and Jacob seventy-seven; but see note on Gen 31:55, etc. And his eyes were dim - This was probably the effect of that affliction, of what kind we know not, under which Isaac now labored; and from which, as well as from the affliction, he probably recovered, as it is certain he lived forty if not forty-three years after this time, for he lived till the return of Jacob from Padan-aram; Gen 35:27-29.

John Gill on Genesis 27:1

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old,.... He is generally thought to be about one hundred and thirty seven years of age at this time, which was just the age of his brother Ishmael when he died, Genesis 25:16; and might put him in mind of his own death as near at hand; though if he was no older, he lived after this forty three years, for he lived to be one hundred and eighty years old, Genesis 35:28, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see; which circumstance is mentioned, not only as a sign of old age, and as common to it, but for the sake of the following history, and as accounting for it, that he should not know Jacob when he blessed him; and this was so ordered in Provide…

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The Church Fathers

BLESSED JACOB IN THE PLACE OF ESAU. — Since a great patriarch asks his son, before he dies, to bring him the game and food that he likes, considering this a great favor, and promises his blessing, we believe that this text does not in any way lack a prophetic meaning. And more so considering that his wife gives him the youngest son in a hurry, preferred of her, to receive that blessing. Other things that are narrated there are enough for us to understand or seek greater things in them. [
— Augustine of Hippo, QUESTIONS ON GENESIS, Q. 78 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Blind — Blind beggars are frequently mentioned (Matt. 9:27; 12:22; 20:30; John 5:3). The blind are to be treated with compassion (Lev. 19:14; Deut. 27:18). Blindness was sometimes a punishment for…
Esau — Hairy, Rebekah’s first-born twin son (Gen. 25:25). The name of Edom, “red”, was also given to him from his conduct in connection with the red lentil “pottage” for which he sold his birthright (30,…
Isaac — Laughter. (1) Israel, or the kingdom of the ten tribes (Amos 7:9, 16). (2.) The only son of Abraham by Sarah. He was the longest lived of the three patriarchs (Gen. 21:1-3). He was circumcised when…
Jacob — One who follows on another’s heels; supplanter, (Gen. 25:26; 27:36; Hos. 12:2-4), the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah. He was born probably at Lahai-roi, when his father was…
Rebekah — A noose, the daughter of Bethuel, and the wife of Isaac (Gen. 22:23; 24:67). The circumstances under which Abraham’s “steward” found her at the “city of Nahor,” in Padan-aram, are narrated in Gen.…
Blindness · . — .
Children · Male: Received the blessing of their father before his death — Male: Received the blessing of their father before his death
Eye, The · Grows dim by age — Grows dim by age
Jacob · Fradulently obtains his father’s blessing — Fradulently obtains his father’s blessing

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 27:1

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 27:1-5

Adam Clarke on Genesis 27:1

John Gill on Genesis 27:1

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 27:1

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 27:1-5

Adam Clarke on Genesis 27:1

John Gill on Genesis 27:1

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 27:1

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 27:1-4

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 27:1-40

Rashi on Genesis 27:1