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Genesis 27:11

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 27:11 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
Genesis 27:11 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 27

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats. And I will make them savory food for thy father, such as he loveth.
10And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so that he may bless thee before his death.
11And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
12My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver. And I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son. Only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother. And his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
← Genesis 27:10Genesis 27:12 →
← Full Chapter 27 Genesis Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, etc.] Being timorous lest he should do an ill thing, and be accounted a deceiver, and bring a curse upon himself: behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man; covered all over with hair; as with a hairy garment; so he was born, and so he continued, and no doubt his hair increased, (<012525>Genesis 25:25): and I [am] a smooth man: without hair, excepting in those parts where it is common for all men to have it.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Jacob said, Esau my brother is a hairy man--It is remarkable that his scruples were founded, not on the evil of the act, but on the risk and consequences of deception.”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“27:11-12 Jacob had no qualms about this deception; he only feared that it might not work and that he would be cursed for trying.”
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Related study paths

Read Genesis 27 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification