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 to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” Then Esau wept loudly. 39So his father Isaac said to him, “Indeed, your home will be away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the sky above. You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck.” 41So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. Esau said privately, “The time of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill my brother Jacob!” 42When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, she quickly summoned her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you.

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 32:6The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.”
• Matthew 10:34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword.
• Genesis 25:23and the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
• 2 Samuel 8:14He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. The Lord protected David wherever he campaigned.
• 1 Kings 11:15During David’s campaign against Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom.
• 2 Kings 14:7He defeated 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day.
• 1 Chronicles 18:11King David dedicated these things to the Lord, along with the silver and gold which he had carried off from all the nations, including Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.
• 2 Chronicles 25:11Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he defeated 10,000 Edomites.
• Psalms 60:8Moab is my washbasin. I will make Edom serve me. I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”
• Obadiah 1:17But on Mount Zion there will be a remnant of those who escape, and it will be a holy place once again. The descendants of Jacob will conquer those who had conquered them.
• 2 Kings 8:20During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king.
• 2 Chronicles 21:8During Jehoram’s reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king.
• 2 Chronicles 28:17The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives.

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