Comentários bíblicos

And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him. — He doth not rate him, or rail at him. Anger must have an end. The prodigal’s father met him and kissed him, when one would have thought he should rather have kicked him and killed him. Pro peccato magno, paululum supplicii satis est patri . Terent.

return to '

Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.

Arise, go to Padanaram. — Jacob was no sooner blest, but banished. So our Saviour was no sooner out of the water of baptism, and had heard, "This is my beloved Son," …, but he was presently in the fire of temptation, and heard, "If thou be the Son," … Matthew 3:1-17 ; Matthew 4:1-11 When Hezekiah had set all in good order, 2 Chronicles 31:1-21 then up came Sennacherib with an army. 2 Chronicles 32:1 God puts his people to it; and often, after sweetest feelings.

return to '

And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;

And God Almighty bless thee. — Here Isaac establishes the blessing to Jacob, lest haply he should think, that the blessing so got, would be of no force to him. God passeth by the evil of our actions, and blesseth the good.

return to '

And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

And give thee the blessing of Abraham. — Here he is made "heir of the blessing," as are also all true Christians. 1 Peter 3:9 Caesar, when he was sad, said to himself, Cogita te esse Caesarem :so, think thou art an heir of heaven, and be sad if thou canst.

return to '

And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

Isaac sent away Jacob. — With his staff only, Genesis 32:10 and to "serve for a wife". Hosea 12:12 It was otherwise, when a wife was provided for Isaac. But Jacob went as privately as he could; "he fled into Syria," probably, that his brother Esau might not know of his journey, and wait him a shrewd turn by the way. Theodoret saith, it was that the divine providence might be the better declared toward him, no better attended or accommodated.

return to '

When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;

When Esau saw, … — But he was ever too late ( Oψινοος ), and therefore what he did was to little purpose. An overlate sight is good neither in piety nor policy. They will find it so that are semper victuri , Seneca. and never can find time to begin till they are shut out of heaven for their trifling. How many have we known taken away in their offers and essays; before they had prepared their hearts to cleave to God!

return to '

And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;

And was gone to Padanaram. — Which was distant from Beersheba almost five hundred miles. This was the father of the that family of travellers; and his affliction is our instruction. Romans 15:4 1 Corinthians 10:11

return to '

And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;

Pleased not Isaac his father. — Whether himself or they pleased God or not, was no part of his care. God is not in all the wicked man’s thoughts. Psalms 10:4 What he strives for is, to be well esteemed of by others, to have the good will and good word of his neighbours and friends, such especially as he hopes for benefit by. Thus Julian counterfeited zeal, till he had got the empire: afterwards, of Julian, he became Idolian, as Nazianzen saith he was commonly called, because he set open again the idols’ temples, which had been shut up by Constantine, and restored them to the heathens.

return to '