Genesis 27:16
in Genesis 27She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
KJV
And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
⋯
This verse in Genesis 27
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
made the tasty food his father loved
on Genesis 27:14-17
Rebekah dresses the deception in three pieces: the goat meat, Esau's finest clothes, and goatskins on Jacob's hands and neck. A garment and a young goat come back on Jacob twice. His sons dip Joseph's robe in goat blood and carry it to him at 37:31. Judah is taken in by a change of clothes and owes a young goat at 38:14 to 23.
This site's exposition
the skins of the young goats
Goatskin passes for a man's arm because Isaac's senses are failing. Adam Clarke drew that conclusion at verse 23: a father who could not tell a kid's skin from his son's flesh was in no state to judge. The hair Esau was born with at 25:25 is now used against him.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands,....
Esau was rough indeed when nothing less than these would serve to make Jacob like him. Those that affect to seem rough and rugged in their carriage put the beast upon the man, and really shame themselves, by thus disguising themselves.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Rivkah also covered Yaakov’s throat and arms with the skins from the goats so that Yitzchok would think that Esau was indeed standing before him.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
The reason why Scripture mentions this is to accentuate the unusual action of the righteous one, 210 Rebekah. for parents customarily give recognition to the firstborn in blessing, honor, and gift, 211 See Ramban above,:34.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֵ֗ת | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עֹרֹת֙ | ʾorot | [the] skins of | H5785 → | |
| גְּדָיֵ֣י | gedayei | [the] kids of | H1423 → | 16 times |
| הָֽעִזִּ֔ים | haizim | the goats | H5795 → | 74 times |
| הִלְבִּ֖ישָׁה | hilbishah | she clothed | H3847 → | 110 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יָדָ֑יו | yadav | hands his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וְעַ֖ל | veal | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| חֶלְקַ֥ת | chelkat | [the] smooth part of | H2513 → | |
| צַוָּארָֽיו׃ | tzavarav | neck<s> his | H6677 → | 42 times |
וְאֵ֗תand <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
עֹרֹת֙[the] skins of
ʾorotH5785 →
גְּדָיֵ֣י[the] kids of
gedayeiH1423 →16 times
הָֽעִזִּ֔יםthe goats
haizimH5795 →74 times
הִלְבִּ֖ישָׁהshe clothed
hilbishahH3847 →110 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יָדָ֑יוhands his
yadavH3027 →1618 times
וְעַ֖לand on
vealH5921 →5755 times
חֶלְקַ֥ת[the] smooth part of
chelkatH2513 →
צַוָּארָֽיו׃neck<s> his
tzavaravH6677 →42 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.