Genesis 27 38

Genesis 27:38 kjv

And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

Genesis 27:38 nkjv

And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me?me also, O my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

Genesis 27:38 niv

Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud.

Genesis 27:38 esv

Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father." And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

Genesis 27:38 nlt

Esau pleaded, "But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!" Then Esau broke down and wept.

Genesis 27 verses

Genesis 27 38 meaning

Genesis 27:38 portrays Esau's profound anguish and despair upon realizing he has lost the principal blessing from his father, Isaac, which was deceitfully taken by his brother Jacob. His desperate plea reveals a belief in a limited supply of blessings from his father and his utter heartbreak over the perceived finality of his loss, marked by a deep, emotional outburst of weeping. It underscores the unchangeable nature of the patriarchal blessing once spoken and its irrevocable consequences.

Genesis 27 38 Context

Genesis 27 details the culmination of long-standing family tensions and divine prophecy concerning the twins, Jacob and Esau. Rebekah, remembering the divine oracle that "the older shall serve the younger" (Gen 25:23), orchestrates a deception. She helps Jacob impersonate Esau to receive the patriarchal blessing from a blind and aging Isaac. Esau returns from hunting, bringing savory food to Isaac, only to find the blessing already given. The verse occurs at the height of Esau's realization that his portion has been stolen, leading to his overwhelming emotional outburst. This incident marks a significant turning point, driving Jacob into exile and establishing the enduring rivalry between the Edomites (Esau's descendants) and Israel (Jacob's descendants). Culturally, patriarchal blessings were legally and spiritually binding, carrying immense weight in bestowing future prosperity, lineage, and divine favor. Once given, they were considered irrevocable, reflecting the power and permanence of spoken words in the ancient world.

Genesis 27 38 Word analysis

• And Esau said to his father: Establishes the direct address and the deep familial, yet now fraught, relationship. It signals a critical, personal interaction following the discovery of deception.
• "Have you only one blessing, my father?" (הַאַחַת בִּרְכָּה - ha'achat birkah):
  • "Have you only one": Ha'achat (הַאַחַת) implies singularity and exclusivity. Esau is shocked there isn't a remaining blessing of comparable magnitude, revealing his focus on the material aspects of the blessing and a misunderstanding of its unique, principal nature that was connected to the covenant line.
  • "Blessing" (birkah - בִּרְכָּה): Refers to the significant, prophetic patriarchal pronouncement that bestows divine favor, prosperity, and covenant promises. It was more than a mere wish; it was believed to be an effective utterance carrying divine power and irreversible effect, binding the one blessed to the specified destiny.
  • Significance: Esau perceives a finite, exhaustible supply of these vital pronouncements. His question indicates a deep sense of panic and injustice, as if all his father's significant spiritual and material inheritance was emptied out onto Jacob.
• "Bless me, even me also, O my father!" (בָּרְכֵנִי גַּם-אָנִי - barkhení gam ani):
  • "Bless me" (barkhení): A strong imperative, a desperate plea for the same kind of divine empowerment Jacob received.
  • "Even me also" (gam ani): The particle gam ("even" or "also") intensified by the pronoun ani ("I" or "me"), emphasizes Esau's demand for personal attention and equal share, despite his earlier apathy towards the birthright. It underscores his profound self-pity and entitlement, desperately wanting a share of the stolen portion. This is not humble request but an agonizing demand born of immense distress.
• And Esau lifted up his voice: (וַיִּשָּׂא קֹלוֹ - vayyissa kolo): A biblical idiom denoting a strong, audible expression of profound emotion—typically distress, crying, or weeping. It signifies a dramatic, public, and uncontrolled display of his inner turmoil and heartbreak.
• and wept: (וַיֵּבְךְּ - vayyevek from bakah - בָּכָה): The ultimate expression of sorrow, grief, and deep distress. This is not tears of repentance for his sin of despising his birthright (as stated in Heb 12:17) but tears of profound worldly regret and loss—loss of honor, inheritance, and the preferred position in his father's eyes. It highlights the devastating consequences of his earlier reckless actions.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "Have you only one blessing... Bless me, even me also": This pairing encapsulates Esau's crisis: the realization of exclusivity in a major blessing coupled with a desperate, nearly demanding, plea for inclusion. It showcases his focus on receiving something, rather than being something, or on the spiritual weight of his birthright. His demand reveals his possessiveness and expectation that his father had another such "great" blessing in reserve.
• "Lifted up his voice and wept": This phrase paints a vivid picture of unbridled despair and profound grief. It emphasizes the depth of Esau's pain, a visceral reaction to his loss that contrasts sharply with Jacob's calm deception and Isaac's quiet submission to what he discerns as God's will. It serves as a stark reminder of the gravity of the patriarchal blessing and the crushing blow of its forfeiture.

Genesis 27 38 Bonus section

The profound grief displayed by Esau, weeping loudly, draws parallels to the emotional reactions of individuals throughout Scripture experiencing significant loss or regret, emphasizing the deeply human response to profound disappointment and irreversible choices. This incident underscores a critical theological concept: the unalterable nature of words spoken under divine inspiration or guidance, a principle also seen in prophecies and covenants. While Esau sought the blessing, the narrative highlights his persistent failure to grasp the covenant implications of the birthright and the blessing, which were intrinsically tied to God's promise to Abraham's lineage. His sorrow was for his own loss, not a recognition of God's sovereignty or the spiritual significance of the Abrahamic covenant. This scene also foreshadows the future national rivalry between Israel (Jacob's descendants) and Edom (Esau's descendants), perpetually shaped by this pivotal moment of deception and Esau's inconsolable despair.

Genesis 27 38 Commentary

Genesis 27:38 encapsulates Esau’s desperate agony. His outburst highlights his shock at the singular, irretrievable nature of the premier patriarchal blessing, distinguishing it from general good wishes. His lament, "Have you only one blessing, my father?" betrays a consumeristic view of the divine favor, treating it as a commodity to be dispensed. His raw, weeping plea, "Bless me, even me also," reveals profound regret not for his spiritual indifference (as seen in selling his birthright, Gen 25:34), but for the material loss of status, wealth, and prominence. This moment seals the divine election of Jacob over Esau (Rom 9:13), showing that even with tears, a moment of divine appointment and the consequences of prior actions cannot be undone (Heb 12:17). The patriarchal blessing, once spoken under God's sovereign leading, held an unalterable power. This verse serves as a solemn warning against despising spiritual inheritance and grieving over the consequences of sin without truly repenting of the sin itself.

• Example 1: Just as Esau couldn't reclaim his blessing after disdaining it, so a follower of Christ who rejects spiritual disciplines often laments lost opportunities for growth, not their earlier indifference.
• Example 2: Like Esau’s worldly sorrow, Judas Iscariot showed remorse and self-pity over betraying Jesus but never true repentance, leading to destruction (Matt 27:3-5; 2 Cor 7:10).