Bible Strands
Genesis 27:39
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaac speaks to Esau immediately after Jacob receives the primary blessing, delivering a pronouncement over his son's future after Esau weeps.
The words — The Hebrew מִ/שְׁמַנֵּ֤י (mi/sh.ma.Nei) and הָ/אָ֙רֶץ֙ (ha./'A.retz) literally mean "away from the fatness" and "the earth," stating the removal of agricultural abundance.
The thread — This reversal directly counters Genesis 27:28, where Jacob receives the "richness of the land" and "dew of heaven," and continues into Genesis 27:40 with the sword and servitude.
Why it lands — The text states that dwelling place and material provision are revoked, requiring the reader to acknowledge that blessing dictates earthly reality rather than birth order.
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 his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
Cross-references
- Genesis 27:28 May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine.
- Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.
- Genesis 36:6 Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob.
- Joshua 24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.