Then he said: Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my son, that my soul may bless thee. And when they were brought, and he had eaten, he offered him wine also, which after he had drunk,
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הַגִּ֤שָׁה לִּי֙ וְאֹֽכְלָה֙ מִצֵּ֣יד בְּנִ֔י לְמַ֥עַן תְּבָֽרֶכְךָ֖ נַפְשִׁ֑י וַיַּגֶּשׁ־לוֹ֙ וַיֹּאכַ֔ל וַיָּ֧בֵא ל֦וֹ יַ֖יִן וַיֵּֽשְׁתְּ׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
When Isaac inquired, “Are you truly my son Esau?” Jacob replied, “I am.” Isaac then instructed him, “Prepare a meal for me, so that I may eat from my son’s hunt and bless you.” At that moment, Jacob felt a sense of relief from his worry, and he presented his father with food and wine. After drinking, Isaac began to converse with him.
The voice of Jacob, who identified himself as Esau, initially raised doubts in his father's mind; however, those doubts faded when Isaac touched Jacob's hands, and when Jacob affirmed the question, “Are you my son Esau?” Some defend Jacob's actions by suggesting they hold symbolic meaning, asserting that Jacob, wrapped in goatskin, represents Jesus Christ, who took on our sins to abolish them. If there is any prophetic foreshadowing here, it lies in the idea that the sins borne by the Savior were as foreign to Him as the goat’s skin was to Jacob.
Jacob’s act of donning the goat's skin to mislead the blind Isaac does not reflect a redemptive aspect relevant to Christ’s mission; it was a manifestation of human free will with a moral dimension, lacking any redemptive significance, and as with any action contrary to moral law, it cannot be justified before the judgment of that law. When Isaac blessed Jacob, he spoke prophetic blessings, not merely from fatherly affection but through inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Isaac realized he was fulfilling God's purpose, as evidenced by his decision to refrain from retracting the blessing upon learning his mistake, fearing the sin of opposing Divine will. Had Isaac questioned more thoroughly to discern whether Esau was truly the one seeking his blessing, he might have uncovered the deceit. The blessed Theodoret notes that the Holy Spirit compelled him to proceed with the prophetic blessing without delay. God permitted Isaac's deception, possibly as a consequence for his favoritism toward Esau, which could have been inexcusable if he understood God’s plan. God's divine will, rooted in His omniscience, was destined to be realized; for the apostle states regarding Jacob and Esau, “when they were yet unborn, and had done nothing good or evil, it was said unto Rebekah, The greater shall be enslaved to the less,” as it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS