45 till thy brother's anger turn back from thee, and he hath forgotten that which thou hast done to him, and I have sent and taken thee from thence; why am I bereaved even of you both the same day?'
And Cain saith unto Abel his brother, ``Let us go into the field;'' and it cometh to pass in their being in the field, that Cain riseth up against Abel his brother, and slayeth him. And Jehovah saith unto Cain, `Where `is' Abel thy brother?' and he saith, `I have not known; my brother's keeper -- I?' And He saith, `What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood is crying unto Me from the ground; and now, cursed `art' thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive the blood of thy brother from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it doth not add to give its strength to thee -- a wanderer, even a trembling one, thou art in the earth.' And Cain saith unto Jehovah, `Greater is my punishment than to be borne; lo, Thou hast driven me to-day from off the face of the ground, and from Thy face I am hid; and I have been a wanderer, even a trembling one, in the earth, and it hath been -- every one finding me doth slay me.' And Jehovah saith to him, `Therefore -- of any slayer of Cain sevenfold it is required;' and Jehovah setteth to Cain a token that none finding him doth slay him. And Cain goeth out from before Jehovah, and dwelleth in the land, moving about east of Eden;
`And only your blood for your lives do I require; from the hand of every living thing I require it, and from the hand of man, from the hand of every man's brother I require the life of man; whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man is his blood shed: for in the image of God hath He made man.
and thy maid-servant hath two sons; and they strive both of them in a field, and there is no deliverer between them, and the one smiteth the other, and putteth him to death; and lo, the whole family hath risen against thy maid-servant, and say, Give up him who smiteth his brother, and we put him to death for the life of his brother whom he hath slain, and we destroy also the heir; and they have quenched my coal which is left -- so as not to set to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the ground.'
Go, now, ye who are saying, `To-day and to-morrow we will go on to such a city, and will pass there one year, and traffic, and make gain;' who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing; instead of your saying, `If the Lord may will, we shall live, and do this or that;'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 27
Commentary on Genesis 27 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 27
In this chapter we return to the typical story of the struggle between Esau and Jacob. Esau had profanely sold the birthright to Jacob; but Esau hopes he shall be never the poorer, nor Jacob the richer, for that bargain, while he preserves his interest in his father's affections, and so secures the blessing. Here therefore we find how he was justly punished for his contempt of the birthright (of which he foolishly deprived himself) with the loss of the blessing, of which Jacob fraudulently deprives him. Thus this story is explained, Heb. 12:16, 17, "Because he sold the birthright, when he would have inherited the blessing he was rejected.' For those that make light of the name and profession of religion, and throw them away for a trifle, thereby forfeit the powers and privileges of it. We have here,
Gen 27:1-5
Here is,
Gen 27:6-17
Rebekah is here contriving to procure for Jacob the blessing which was designed for Esau; and here,
Gen 27:18-29
Observe here,
Gen 27:30-40
Here is,
Gen 27:41-46
Here is,