Genesis 27:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Observe in this passage, alongside love, the profound wisdom exhibited by Rebekah. (Refer to Genesis 25:25-26, Genesis 27:11). Consequently, she dressed Jacob in Esau's garments, as recorded in Scripture, adorned him with animal skins, ensuring he appeared convincing on all sides for the purpose of successful deceit. She also provided him with food and bread to take to his father, preparing him for this significant moment. Moreover, it is crucial to recognize that all of this was orchestrated through the grace of the Almighty. When we fulfill our responsibilities, we receive God's abundant assistance. To prevent us from becoming complacent or idle, God desires our active participation, and then He reveals His aid.

He placed goatskins on his shoulders and concealed the bare areas of his body with them, successfully replicating Esau's appearance to mislead his father should he feel him. This account illustrates the contrasting representations of two nations, Israel and that which emerges through faith in Christ.

He carries the transgressions of others with patience, even when they are not his own. This is akin to donning the skin of goats: he takes on the sins of others without retaining his own. In this way, those who take on the burdens of others for the sake of harmony within the Church follow the example of James. For Jacob is also found in Christ, as Christ is a descendant of Abraham (cf. Gal. 3:16), as it is written, “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). Likewise, our Lord Jesus Christ, who remained sinless, bore the iniquities of others. Should those who have received forgiveness look down upon the faults of others? If Jacob turns to Christ, he too carries the transgressions of others—symbolized by the skin of the goats. And where lies the deception (Gen. 27:35)? For another arrives, albeit later, bringing what the father has requested, and discovers that his brother has already obtained a blessing meant for him, receiving no additional blessing.

The act of clothing him signifies that the Word was destined to embody human form; likewise, the placing of goat skins upon his shoulders reflects how He accepted the burden of our transgressions by extending His hands and shoulders on the cross. As stated in Isaiah: ‘He took our sins and bore our diseases’ (Isaiah 53:4). Furthermore, the fact that Jacob was adorned in garments highlights that the Word was preparing to take on flesh. The covering of his hands with goat skins symbolizes how the Word removed the sins of humanity through the outstretched hands on the cross. As Isaiah proclaimed, He carried away our sins and bore our afflictions (Isaiah 53:4; cf. LXX).

Jacob, who donned goatskins to secure his father's blessing, symbolizes our Lord and Savior, who flawlessly embraced our fallen nature and eradicated its weaknesses through His death. This act represents the donning of lifeless coverings, as the Lord has rendered the goat’s nature devoid of anything that could be judged and condemned. Instead, He vanquished its earthly temptations, presenting to the Father, who eternally desires our redemption, the beloved offering of Himself, and within Him, He bestowed upon us a profound blessing.

Rebekah took the robe of her eldest son from the house and dressed her younger son in it; she also covered his hands and smooth neck with goat skins, disguising him in such a way that he could not be identified. This act represents Christ, who assumed not the flesh associated with sin but the likeness of sinful humanity (Rom. 8:3), taking the law of the Old Covenant as the covering of the firstborn—fulfilling the declaration, ‘I came not to break the law, but to fulfil it’ (Matt. 5:17). In this arrangement, the younger son Jacob, who had previously usurped the birthright from his brother, also seizes the blessing (See Gen. 25:29-34; 27:27-38).

What significance lies in the fact that Jacob clothed his hands, shoulders, and neck with goatskins, if not that the goat is typically offered as a sacrifice for sin? Meanwhile, the Gentile nations, although they renounced the sins of the flesh, acknowledged without shame that they were enveloped in those very sins.

Rebekah wrapped Jacob's hands and neck in goatskin, symbolizing the Blessed Virgin Mary. Just as she adorned Jacob with the skin of a goat, the Mother of God encased the Son of God in human flesh within her womb. Jacob serves as a foreshadowing of Christ. In the same way that Jacob adopted the appearance of Esau, donning goatskin on his hands and neck, Christ assumed the form of a servant and carried the sins of humanity in His own body. When Jacob addressed his father, his voice remained his own, yet his hands resembled those of Esau; similarly, Christ's teachings and the might of His words were divine, though His divine nature was veiled in His humanity.

Jacob did not immediately accept his mother’s plan. He expressed to her that Esau was ‘hairy,’ being born with a lot of hair (Genesis 25:25). Jacob feared that if he presented himself as Esau, the blind Isaac would easily recognize the deceit by touch. Instead of bestowing a blessing, he might curse the trickster. However, Rebekah insisted to Jacob that the responsibility lay with her, confident that there would be no consequences, believing that God's divine purpose for the younger sibling to receive the blessing over the older would come to fruition. Her assurance was supported when Isaac mistook Jacob for Esau and blessed him.