Later text
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.
Intertextuality Pair
Allusion
Later text
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.
Earlier text
So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine. May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed."
Isaac's blessing on Jacob asked God for "the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth" and lordship over brothers and nations, ending with an echo of Abraham's call: "May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed" (Genesis 27:28-29; compare 12:3). It was obtained by deceit, yet when Isaac learned the truth he would not revoke it, "indeed, he will be blessed!" (27:33), and Esau received a lesser word (27:39-40). Hebrews 11:20 compresses the scene: "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future." The tie is clear, a direct reference to the narrative without quotation. Isaac's faith lay in speaking God's blessing over things not yet seen and in yielding when God's choice overruled his own. A chapter later Hebrews holds up Esau as a warning, one who "sold his birthright" and later "sought the blessing with tears" (12:16-17). The future Isaac blessed toward, Hebrews places in Christ: He "is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance" (9:15), an inheritance secured by His death and freely given.