Bible Strands
Genesis 25:28
Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator reports the parents' contrasting affections immediately after noting the grown sons' divergent lifestyles, occurring before the stew incident. This statement sets the familial division prior to the birthright negotiation.
The words — צַ֣יִד (Tzayid) translates as wild game, and בְּפִי/ו (be'pi/v) literally means "in his mouth," specifying Isaac's sensory preference. These terms anchor his stated love to a physical appetite rather than moral evaluation.
The thread — The same preference reappears in Genesis 27:4, 27:19, and 27:31, where Isaac repeatedly requests game and both sons prepare it to secure his blessing. The narrative tracks how this stated taste directly fuels the subsequent deception and favoritism.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe how parental bias operates independently of divine choice. It demands recognition that human favoritism fractures family boundaries and creates conditions for manipulation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Cross-references
- Genesis 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.”
- Genesis 27:4 Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.”
- Genesis 27:31 He too made some tasty food, brought it to his father, and said to him, “My father, sit up and eat of your son’s game, so that you may bless me.”
- Genesis 27:9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can make them into a tasty dish for your father—the kind he loves.
- Genesis 27:25 “Serve me,” said Isaac, “and let me eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.” Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; then he brought him wine, and he drank.
- Genesis 27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau,