Genesis Chapter 28

Isaac sends Jacob away with Abraham’s blessing, Esau marries again, and God meets the fleeing Jacob at Bethel with promises that draw out a vow.

Genesis 28:1-5

Isaac Blesses and Sends Jacob

Genesis 28:6-9

Esau’s Belated Marriage

Genesis 28:10-15

The Stairway and the Promise

Genesis 28:16-19

The House of God

Genesis 28:20-22

Jacob’s Vow and Tithe

Genesis 28:1

Rebekah’s complaint about the daughters of Heth (27:46) has done its work, but the initiative now passes to Isaac. He “called Jacob, and blessed him.” A few days earlier the old patriarch had blessed this son while believing him to be Esau. Now he speaks with open eyes, addressing Jacob by name. Whatever Isaac knew of Esau’s murderous intent, he understood that the brothers had to be separated, and he recognized that the blessing he had spoken under deception could not be withdrawn (27:33).

The charge comes before the journey: “Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.” Isaac repeats almost exactly the instruction Abraham had given his servant when seeking a wife for Isaac (24:3). The concern is not ethnic pride. The peoples of the land worshiped other gods, and Esau’s Hittite wives had already brought grief into the camp (26:34–35). A marriage shapes the faith of a household and of the generations that follow, and the line through which the promised Seed would come had to remain loyal to the LORD.

Isaac’s act is also a quiet recovery. He had tried to steer the blessing toward his favorite; now he submits to the word given before the twins were born (25:23). Hebrews remembers him for blessing his sons “by faith” (Hebrews 11:20). Faith in this family is mixed with failure, but here it takes the form of yielding to God’s choice rather than resisting it.

Study Links

Cross References

Genesis 24:3-4Genesis 26:34-35

Word / Phrase Notes

וַיְצַוֵּהוּ (wayetsawwehu) — and charged him

The verb צִוָּה (tsiwwah) means to command or give binding instruction. It is the word used for God’s commands to Adam (Genesis 2:16) and for Abraham’s direction of his household (Genesis 18:19). Isaac’s charge is therefore more than parental advice; it carries the weight of covenant instruction that Jacob is expected to obey, as verse 7 notes he did.

Genesis 2:16Genesis 18:19