John Gill

This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac,

“And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son,.... Moses, having given the genealogy of Ishmael and his posterity, returns to Isaac, the other son of Abraham, with whom and his children the following part of his history is chiefly, if not altogether concerned: Abraham…”

and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.

“And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife,.... Which was three years after the death of his mother; Isaac was born when she was ninety, and therefore must be thirty seven when she died.”

When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.

“And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled,.... The nine months were up from the time of her conception; or, as the Targum of Jonathan, when the two hundred and seventy days she went with child were completed: behold, there were twins in her…”

“Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”

“And Esau said, behold, I am at the point to die,.... Or, "going to die" (y), going the way of all flesh; which he might say on account of the common frailty and mortality of man, and the brevity of life at most, or by…”

because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

“Because that Abraham obeyed my voice,.... In all things, and particularly in offering up his son at his command: and kept my charge; whatever was given him in charge to observe; this, as Aben Ezra thinks, is the general, of which the particulars follow: my…”

So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.

“And Isaac departed thence,.... At once, peaceably and quietly, though to his loss and disadvantage, without taking himself either to argument or arms, in favour of himself; he departed immediately, as soon as he perceived his abode was disagreeable to the king and his people…”

Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”

“And thou shall bring it to thy father,.... For venison; and as if he was Esau that brought it: that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death; to whom she knew by the divine oracle the blessing belonged, Gen 25:23…”

Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he replied, “I am.”

“And said, art thou my very son Esau?.... Still having some doubt on his mind whether he really was so or not, because of his voice: and he said, I am; as for the observation of Jarchi upon this, in order to excuse Jacob from…”

But his father Isaac replied, “Who are you?” “I am Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.

“And Isaac his father said unto him, who art thou?.... Hearing another voice more like Esau's than what he had heard before surprised him, and therefore in haste puts this question: and he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau; all which was true…”

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.

“And Isaac his father answered and said unto him,.... Being willing to bestow what he could upon him, without lessening or breaking in upon the grant made to Jacob: behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven…”

And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,

“And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father. Who he perceived was displeased with the daughters of Canaan, or that they were "evil in his eyes" (i), offensive to him, and disapproved of by him, because of their ill manners…”

“Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.

“And he said unto them, know ye Laban the son of Nahor?.... He was the son of Bethuel, and grandson of Nahor; grandsons being called the sons of their grandfather; and Nahor might be more known than Bethuel, Haran being Nahor's city, Gen 24:10; and…”

Then Laban declared, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a month,

“And Laban said to him, surely thou art my bone and my flesh,.... Nearly allied in blood, being his sister's son: and he abode with him the space of a month; or "a month of days" (m), a full month to a day; all this…”

Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel.

“And Laban had two daughters,.... Grown up and marriageable: and the name of the elder was Leah; which signifies labour or weariness: and the name of the younger was Rachel; before mentioned, whom Jacob met with at the well, Gen 29:10; and whose name signifies…”

Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.

“Leah was tender eyed,.... Blear eyed, had a moisture in them, which made them red, and so she was not so agreeable to look at; though Onkelos renders the words,"the eyes of Leah were beautiful,''as if her beauty lay in her eyes, and nowhere else…”

So Laban invited all the men of that place and prepared a feast.

“And Laban gathered together all the men of the place,.... Of the city of Haran, which may be understood of the chief and principal of them, to make the marriage of his daughter public and authentic: and made a feast; a marriage or marriage feast…”

And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.

“And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid, for an handmaid. It was usual to have many given them at this time, as Rebekah seems to have had, Gen 24:59; but Leah had but one, and this was all the portion Jacob had…”

When morning came, there was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?”

“And it came to pass, that, in the morning, behold, it was Leah,.... The morning light discovered her, and her veil being off, her tender eyes showed who she was: it is much her voice had not betrayed her; but perhaps there might be a…”

Laban also gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.

“And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. As he had given Leah an handmaid he gave Rachel another; and this in the Targum of Jonathan is said to be a daughter of Laban by a concubine also, as…”

Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.”

“And she conceived again, and bare a son,.... As soon as she well could. The Jews (x) have a notion, that Leah brought forth her sons at seven months' end: and said, because the Lord hath heard that I was hated; or less loved than…”

Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

“And Leah said, a troop cometh,.... A troop of children, having bore four herself, and now her maid another, and more she expected; or the commander of a troop cometh, one that shall head an army and overcome his enemies; which agrees with the prophecy…”

Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field.

“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest,.... Leah's eldest son, who is supposed to be at this time about four or five years of age (e), who went out from the tent to the field, to play there perhaps; and this was at…”

After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

“And afterwards she bare a daughter,.... Which some writers, as Aben Ezra observes, say, was at the same birth with Zebulun, a twin with him; but being said to be afterwards shows the contrary: and called her name Dinah; which signifies "judgment": perhaps she may…”

and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.

“And she conceived and bare a son,.... Through the goodness of God unto her, and for which she was greatly thankful: and said, God hath taken away my reproach; the reproach of barrenness with which she was reproached among her neighbours; and perhaps by her…”

But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.

“And when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in,.... Or "when covered", as Menachem, that is, with wool, and so not so desirous of copulation with the males, nor so fit and strong for generation; and therefore he put not in the rods…”