Genesis 27:19

And Jacob said unto his father, I [am] Esau thy firstborn,.... Had he only said that he was his firstborn, he might have been excused from lying, because he had bought the birthright of Esau; but

And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? He came unto his father.

This cannot be excused, for it was a manifest untruth, and no less is all this following relation, though it pleased God graciously to pardon it; and notwithstanding these failings, to confer the blessing promised upon Jacob.

Genesis 27:19 And Jacob said unto his father, I [am] Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.Ver. 19. I am Esau thy firstborn, &c.] Here he utters three lies in a breath: besides his ascribing to God that he did, so taking that reverend name in vain. This was his sin, and he smarted for it to his dying day: for he had scarcely a merry hour after this; but God followed him with one sorrow upon another, to teach him and us what an "evil and bitter thing sin is," and how it ensnares and ensnarls us. Aristotle could say, that a lie is in itself evil and wicked. The Hebrews call it Aven, a great iniquity. And the Scripture reckons it among monstrous sins, and condemns it to hell, - whether it be the officious, merry, or pernicious lie. Indeed, every lie is pernicious to ourselves or others, or both; because flatly forbidden of God, and because it is against the order of nature, and for that "no lie is of the truth," as St John hath it, but of the devil, who began, and still upholds his kingdom by lies. Contrarily, God is truth, and his children are all such as will not lie, at least, not get a haunt and a habit of lying, which David calls "a way of lying": "Remove from me the way of lying," saith he, that I make not a trade or common practice of it. We find that he very roundly telleth two or three lies together, as Jacob here did; and all deliberate. So that tale he told Achish of invading the south of Judah, when he had been upon the Geshurites and Gerarites. I know not how it can be excused. But this was not David’ s "way," his common course; pity it should. Honest heathens condemned lying; the Persians punished it severely in their children. Homer censures it in Dolon, Ulysses, and others, Clitarchi historici, saith Quintilian, ingenium probatur, fides infamatur. Nepos reporteth of Epaminondas, that he so loved truth that he would not once lie, no, not in jest. A shame to many Christians, who think the officious and sporting lie to be nothing. Whereas we must not speak the truth to please men, much less lie. And for saving ourselves, we must rather die then lie; else Peter had not sinned in denying his Master. As for profiting others, we may not lie, though it were to save a soul. We may as well commit fornication with the Moabites, to draw them to our religion, or steal from rich men to give to the poor, as lie to do another man a good turn. See Job 13:7-9. Arist. Ethic., lib. iv. cap. 7. Xenoph., Cyrop., lib. i. Iσκεψευδεαπολλαλεγεινετυμοισινομοια. - Hom. Cor. Nepos in Vita Epam.

(19) Arise . . . sit and eat.—The Hebrews at this time, and for centuries, sat at their meals (1 Samuel 20:25). It was from the Romans that they learned to recline at table, as we find was their custom in the Gospels. It is a mistake, moreover, to suppose that Isaac was a bedridden old man, for Jacob bids him arise and seat himself. Nor does he help him, though his sight was weak. It is only when commanded to draw near that he lets his father touch him.

Verse 19. I am Esau thy first-born] Here are many palpable falsehoods, and such as should neither be imitated nor excused. "Jacob," says Calmet, "imposes on his father in three different ways. 1. By his words: I am thy first-born Esau. 2. By his actions; he gives him kids' flesh for venison, and says he had executed his orders, and got it by hunting. 3. By his clothing; he puts on Esau's garments, and the kids' skins upon his hands and the smooth of his neck. In short, he made use of every species of deception that could be practised on the occasion, in order to accomplish his ends." To attempt to palliate or find excuses for such conduct, instead of serving, disserves the cause of religion and truth. Men have laboured, not only to excuse all this conduct of Rebekah and Jacob, but even to show that it was consistent, and that the whole was according to the mind and will of God! Non tali auxilio, non defensoribus istis The cause of God and truth is under no obligation to such defenders; their hands are more unhallowed than those of Uzzah; and however the bearers may stumble, the ark of God requires not their support. It was the design of God that the elder should serve the younger, and he would have brought it about in the way of his own wise and just providence; but means such as here used he could neither sanction nor recommend.

19. And Jacob said] Jacob’s reply combines (a) a statement of direct falsehood and (b) a specious assumption of virtue in the prompt obedience to his father’s command.