Genesis 27:40

Genesis 27:40 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
• New International Version (NIV)You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck."
• New King James Version (NKJV)By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Context of Genesis 27:40

38Esau said, ‘My father, you surely have one blessing left for me. Please bless me too!’ Then Esau wept loudly. 39Isaac replied, ‘You will not live in a place where the ground gives good food. You will not have rain to make your crops grow. You will have to fight to get the things that you need. You will serve your brother as your master. But when you choose to turn against him, you will become free from his power over you.’ 41Because Isaac had blessed Jacob, Esau hated his younger brother Jacob. Esau said quietly, ‘My father will die soon. When we have buried his body, I will kill my brother.’ 42Someone told Rebekah what her older son, Esau, had said. So she told her younger son, Jacob, to come to her. She said to him, ‘Your brother Esau wants to kill you, because of what you did to him.

Genesis 27:40 word by word

וְעַל־חַרְבְּךָ֣ תִֽחְיֶ֔ה וְאֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ תַּעֲבֹ֑ד וְהָיָה֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר תָּרִ֔יד וּפָרַקְתָּ֥ עֻלּ֖וֹ מֵעַ֥ל צַוָּארֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And by thy swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• shalt thou liveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
• and shalt serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
• thy brotherאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
• and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominionרוּדrûd · to roamH7300
• that thou shalt breakפָּרַקpâraq · to tearH6561
• his yokeעֹל‛ôl ‛ôl · yokeH5923
• from off thy neckצַוָּארtsavvâ'r tsavvâr tsavvârôn tsavvâ'râh · neckH6677

Cross-references for Genesis 27:40

• Genesis 32:6When the men returned, they said to Jacob, ‘We went to your brother Esau. Now he is coming to meet you and he has 400 men with him.’
• Matthew 10:34I will tell you why I have come into the world. I did not come so that everyone would agree with each other. No, I came to put people against one another, to fight against each other.
• Genesis 25:23The Lord said to Rebekah, ‘The two children who are in your body will become two separate nations of people. One group will be stronger than the other. The older son will become a servant to the younger son.’
• 2 Samuel 8:14He put groups of his soldiers in every part of Edom's land, so that David had authority over all the Edomites. The Lord helped David to win all the battles that he fought.
• 1 Kings 11:15When David was king, he had fought against Edom's people. Joab, the leader of David's army, had gone to Edom to bury the dead Israelite soldiers. At that time, Joab killed all the men in Edom.
• 2 Kings 14:7Amaziah killed 10,000 soldiers from Edom in Salt valley. He attacked Sela city and he took it for himself. He gave it a new name, ‘Joktheel’. That is still its name.
• 1 Chronicles 18:11King David took those gifts and he offered them to the Lord. He also offered to the Lord all the silver and gold things that he had taken from other nations. Those nations were Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines and the Amalekites.
• 2 Chronicles 25:11But Amaziah was brave. He led his army to Salt Valley. There they killed 10,000 soldiers from Edom.
• Psalms 60:8But Moab is the place where I wash my hands. Edom is my servant. I can throw my shoes at him! I will shout loudly, because I have won against the Philistines.’
• Obadiah 1:17But on Mount Zion, people will be free. It will be special to me. Jacob's descendants will have the country that belongs to them. I will give it to them.
• 2 Kings 8:20While Jehoram was king, Edom's people turned against Judah. They would no longer accept the king of Judah's authority over them. They decided to have their own king.
• 2 Chronicles 21:8While Jehoram was king, Edom's people turned against Judah. They would no longer accept the king of Judah's authority over them. They decided to have their own king.
• 2 Chronicles 28:17Soldiers from Edom had attacked Judah again. They had taken people away as their prisoners.

Commentaries on Genesis 27:40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 40By thy sword shalt thou live - This does not absolutely mean that the Edomites should have constant wars; but that they should be of a fierce and warlike disposition, gaining their sustenance by hunting, and by predatory excursions upon the possessions of others. Bishop Newton speaks on this subject with his usual good sense and judgment: "The elder branch, it is here foretold, should delight more in war and violence, but yet should be subdued by the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-46Verses 1-46 - Isaac Blessing His Sons The life of Isaac falls into three periods. During the first seventy-five years he is contemporary with his father. For sixty-one years more his son Jacob remains under the paternal roof. The remaining forty-four years are passed in the retirement of old age. The chapter before us narrates the last solemn acts of the middle period of his life. Genesis 27:1-4 Isaac was old. - Joseph was in his thirtieth year when he…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-40Verses 30-40 When Esau understood that Jacob had got the blessing, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry. The day is coming, when those that now make light of the blessings of the covenant, and sell their title to spiritual blessings for that which is of no value, will, in vain, ask urgently for them. Isaac, when made sensible of the deceit practised on him, trembled exceedingly. Those who follow the choice of their own affections, rather than…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 39-40All that remained for Esau was a promise of hardship and struggle (compare 3:17–19; 16:11–12).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 39-4039-40. Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth--The first part is a promise of temporal prosperity, made in the same terms as Jacob's [Ge 27:28]--the second part refers to the roving life of hunting freebooters, which he and his descendants should lead. Though Esau was not personally subject to his brother, his posterity were tributary to the Israelites, till the reign of Joram when they revolted and established a kingdom of their own (2Ki…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 27:40

• Benedictions
• Death
• Edomites
• Family
• Isaac
• Israel
• Parents
• Sword

In the dictionaries

• Bless
• Cry
• Deceiver
• Dim
• Exceedingly
• Fatness
• Feel
• Fetch
• Hairy
• Hunt

Commentaries on Genesis 27

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings