Devine Scripture

Genesis 27:38

What does Genesis 27:38 mean?

A plain-English look at Genesis 27:38 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Genesis 27:38 means

Esau's persistent and tearful plea, "Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father," underscores his deep longing for his father's favor and acknowledgment. His desperate and emotional outburst, culminating in weeping, highlights his profound grief and the spiritual significance of a patriarchal blessing in their culture. He grasps for any remnant of blessing, unwilling to accept total loss.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

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.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

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.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

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.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And Esau said to his father, Is that the only blessing you have, my father? give a blessing to me, even me! And Esau was overcome with weeping.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And Esau saith unto his father, `One blessing hast thou my father? bless me, me also, O my father;' and Esau lifteth up his voice, and weepeth.

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And Esau said to him: Hast thou only one blessing, father? I beseech thee bless me also. And when he wept with a loud cry,

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And Esau said to his father, Hast thou then but one blessing, my father? bless me — me also, my father! And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

Context

This verse portrays Esau's continued anguish and a plea for any remaining blessing, immediately following Isaac's explanation of Jacob's comprehensive blessing. Esau's weeping emphasizes the depth of his sorrow and his desperate need for his father's favor. This desperate plea finally prompts Isaac to reluctantly bestow a lesser, but still significant, blessing upon Esau.

v.37And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with grain and new wine have I sustained him: and what then shall I do for thee, my son?

v.38This passage

v.39And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling, And of the dew of heaven from above;

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Genesis 49:28

    All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

  • Genesis 27:34

    When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

  • Isaiah 65:14

    behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for vexation of spirit.

  • Proverbs 1:24

    Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded;

  • Hebrews 12:17

    For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought it diligently with tears.

  • Genesis 27:36

    And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

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