Genesis 27

Introduction

Genesis 27 is a story of family deception that alters the course of Israel's history. The aging patriarch Isaac, now blind, prepares to bestow his blessing on his favored son Esau. But Rebekah, who has known since before the twins' birth that "the older shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23), orchestrates a scheme to redirect the blessing to Jacob. The chapter reads almost like a stage play: every sense — sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing — is invoked as the blind father tries to discern which son stands before him. The tension builds through a series of near-discoveries, and the consequences unfold in waves.

The theology here is tangled. God's sovereign purposes are accomplished through deeply flawed human actions. Rebekah and Jacob achieve the right outcome by the wrong means, and the blessing, once spoken, cannot be revoked. Isaac trembles, Esau weeps bitterly, Rebekah loses the son she fought to bless, and Jacob must flee for his life. Every character pays a price. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are held here in uncomfortable tension, and the chapter launches Jacob into a twenty-year exile that will dominate the next arc of the Genesis narrative.

Isaac Prepares to Bless Esau (vv. 1-4)

¹ When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," Esau replied. ² "Look," said Isaac, "I am now old, and I do not know the day of my death. ³ Take your weapons — your quiver and bow — and go out into the field to hunt some game for me. ⁴ Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die."

¹ Now it happened that when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he said, "Here I am." ² He said, "Look, I have grown old; I do not know the day of my death. ³ So now, take your gear — your quiver and your bow — and go out to the field and hunt game for me. ⁴ Then prepare for me a savory dish, the kind I love, and bring it to me so I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die."

Notes

וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹת ("his eyes were too dim to see") — Isaac's blindness is the hinge on which the entire chapter turns. The narrator states it matter-of-factly, but the detail does double work: it explains how deception was physically possible, and it figures Isaac's inability to perceive God's revealed purposes. God had told Rebekah that the older would serve the younger (Genesis 25:23), yet Isaac persists in trying to bless Esau. His physical blindness mirrors a deeper one — a determination to follow his own preference over God's declared will.
מַטְעַמִּים ("savory dish, delicacies") — This word threads through nearly every scene in the chapter (vv. 4, 7, 9, 14, 17, 31), becoming a kind of leitmotif. It derives from the root טָעַם ("to taste, perceive"), and refers to food prepared with special care and seasoning. Isaac's request ties the blessing to a meal — a deeply personal, sensory exchange. The patriarch wants to taste his favorite food from his favorite son before pronouncing his deathbed blessing. The intimacy of the scene makes the coming deception all the more painful.
תְּבָרֶכְךָ נַפְשִׁי ("my soul may bless you") — Isaac does not simply say "I will bless you" but "my soul will bless you." The נֶפֶשׁ here signifies the deepest part of the self — the life-force, the whole being. A patriarchal blessing was not a casual wish but a solemn, binding declaration believed to carry the weight of divine authority. Once spoken from the depths of one's being, it could not be retracted (as v. 33 will confirm). This understanding of blessing as irrevocable and spiritually potent is essential to the drama that follows.

Rebekah's Scheme (vv. 5-17)

⁵ Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac told his son Esau. So when Esau went into the field to hunt game and bring it back, ⁶ Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau, ⁷ 'Bring me some game and prepare me a tasty dish to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.' ⁸ Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly as I tell you. ⁹ Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can make them into a tasty dish for your father — the kind he loves. ¹⁰ Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies." ¹¹ Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, "Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-skinned. ¹² What if my father touches me? Then I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I would bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing." ¹³ His mother replied, "Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me." ¹⁴ So Jacob went and got two goats and brought them to his mother, who made the tasty food his father loved. ¹⁵ And Rebekah took the finest clothes in the house that belonged to her older son Esau, and she put them on her younger son Jacob. ¹⁶ She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. ¹⁷ Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and bread she had made.

⁵ Now Rebekah had been listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And when Esau went out to the field to hunt game and bring it back, ⁶ Rebekah said to Jacob her son, "Look, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying, ⁷ 'Bring me game and prepare a savory dish for me, so I may eat and bless you before the LORD before I die.' ⁸ So now, my son, listen to my voice — do what I tell you. ⁹ Go to the flock and get me two good young goats from there, and I will make them into a savory dish for your father, the kind he loves. ¹⁰ Then you will bring it to your father, and he will eat, so that he may bless you before his death." ¹¹ But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. ¹² Perhaps my father will feel me, and I will seem to him like a mocker, and I will bring on myself a curse and not a blessing." ¹³ His mother said to him, "Let your curse fall on me, my son. Only obey my voice and go get them for me." ¹⁴ So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared a savory dish, the kind his father loved. ¹⁵ Then Rebekah took the finest garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and dressed Jacob her younger son in them. ¹⁶ And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. ¹⁷ Then she placed the savory dish and the bread she had made into the hand of Jacob her son.

Notes

Rebekah adds a crucial detail not present in Isaac's original words: she tells Jacob that Isaac intends to bless Esau לִפְנֵי יְהוָה ("before the LORD," v. 7). Whether Isaac actually said this or Rebekah added it to heighten the urgency is debated. If Isaac did invoke the LORD's name, it underscores that this was no ordinary meal but a sacred, covenantal act — making the stakes even higher.
כִּמְתַעְתֵּעַ ("like a mocker/deceiver") — Jacob's concern is revealing: he does not object to the deception on moral grounds but fears being caught. The word comes from the root תָּעַע, meaning "to mock" or "to deal deceitfully." Some translations render this as "mocking him," while others have "a deceiver." Jacob's worry is that he will appear to be making fun of his blind father, which would provoke a curse rather than a blessing. His moral horizon at this point is pragmatic rather than principled.
עָלַי קִלְלָתְךָ בְּנִי ("Let your curse be on me, my son") — Rebekah's willingness to absorb the curse is a striking moment. She takes full responsibility, offering herself as a substitute if the plan miscarries. Whether she acts from faith in God's promise (Genesis 25:23) or from maternal favoritism, the text does not say. What is clear is that she is the architect of the entire scheme. The narrator consistently marks her as the active agent: she listens, she speaks, she takes the garments, she dresses Jacob, she places the food in his hand. Jacob is largely passive throughout.
בִּגְדֵי עֵשָׂו... הַחֲמֻדֹת ("the finest/desirable garments of Esau") — The word חֲמֻדֹת means "desirable, precious, coveted." These were not ordinary clothes but Esau's best garments — possibly ceremonial clothing associated with the firstborn's role. That Rebekah had them stored in the house (rather than with Esau in the field) suggests she had long been in a position to control household affairs. The garments carry Esau's scent (v. 27), which will become the final sensory test that convinces Isaac.
The goatskins on Jacob's hands and neck are a practical detail that also carries ironic weight. In Genesis 25:25, Esau was described at birth as שֵׂעָר ("hairy") — and now animal skins simulate that hairiness. Jacob, whose name means "heel-grabber" or "supplanter," is literally wearing a disguise made from the same species (עִזִּים, "goats") that will later be used to deceive him, when his own sons dip Joseph's coat in goat blood (Genesis 37:31).

Jacob Deceives Isaac (vv. 18-29)

¹⁸ So Jacob went to his father and said, "My father." "Here I am!" he answered. "Which one are you, my son?" ¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me." ²⁰ But Isaac asked his son, "How did you ever find it so quickly, my son?" "Because the LORD your God brought it to me," he replied. ²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau, or not?" ²² So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." ²³ Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. ²⁴ Again he asked, "Are you really my son Esau?" And he replied, "I am." ²⁵ "Serve me," said Isaac, "and let me eat some of my son's game, so that I may bless you." Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; then he brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, "Please come near and kiss me, my son." ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth — an abundance of grain and new wine. ²⁹ 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."

¹⁸ He went to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?" ¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat of my game, so that your soul may bless me." ²⁰ But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you found it so quickly, my son?" He said, "Because the LORD your God caused it to come before me." ²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near, please, so I may feel you, my son — are you really my son Esau, or not?" ²² So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." ²³ He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. ²⁴ He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" And he said, "I am." ²⁵ Then he said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near and kiss me, my son." ²⁷ So he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him, and said, "See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed! ²⁸ May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the richness of the earth, and abundance of grain and new wine. ²⁹ May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you."

Notes

The deception scene is constructed around the five senses, and Isaac's suspicion grows with each test. He hears the voice and is troubled — "The voice is the voice of Jacob" (v. 22). He touches the hands and is deceived by the goatskins. He tastes the food and is satisfied. He smells the garments and is convinced. Sight, the one sense that would have exposed the fraud, has been taken from him. Four senses say "Esau" while one says "Jacob," and the blind father chooses to believe the majority. The line "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau" has become a byword for situations where appearance contradicts reality.
כִּי הִקְרָה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְפָנָי ("Because the LORD your God caused it to come before me") — This is Jacob's most direct lie in the scene. He not only claims Esau's identity but invokes God's name to explain his implausible speed. The phrase "the LORD your God" (rather than "my God") is telling — Jacob cannot yet say "my God" with integrity. He uses God as a prop in his deception, a casual blasphemy. His encounters at Bethel (Genesis 28:13-15) and Peniel (Genesis 32:24-30) are, in part, the story of coming to truly know the God he so glibly invoked here.
Isaac's blessing in vv. 28-29 is a three-part benediction: agricultural abundance (dew, grain, wine), political dominion (nations serving him), and covenantal protection (the blessing/curse formula). The final line — "Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you" — echoes God's original promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3. By speaking these words, Isaac (unwittingly) transfers the Abrahamic covenant blessing to Jacob. The blessing moves from the physical realm (land, food) to the political (dominion) to the spiritual (covenant), building to a climax.
מִטַּל הַשָּׁמַיִם וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי הָאָרֶץ ("of the dew of heaven and of the richness of the earth") — The word שְׁמַנֵּי means "fatness, richness" — it is the richest, most fertile quality of the soil. The dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth together represent total provision from above and below. In an arid land like Canaan, dew was essential for agriculture, and "fatness" of the earth meant fertile, productive soil. This same pair of images will be inverted in Esau's "blessing" (v. 39), where they are taken away.
הֱוֵה גְבִיר לְאַחֶיךָ ("Be master over your brothers") — The word גְּבִיר means "lord, master" — the masculine form of גְּבִירָה ("queen mother"). Isaac bestows political supremacy over his brothers (and their descendants). This directly fulfills the oracle Rebekah received: "the older shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23). Historically, this was realized when Edom (Esau's descendants) was subject to Israel under David (2 Samuel 8:14).

Esau Discovers the Deception (vv. 30-40)

³⁰ As soon as Isaac had finished blessing him and Jacob had left his father's presence, his brother Esau returned from the hunt. ³¹ He too made some tasty food, brought it to his father, and said to him, "My father, sit up and eat of your son's game, so that you may bless me." ³² But his father Isaac replied, "Who are you?" "I am Esau, your firstborn son," he answered. ³³ Isaac began to tremble violently and said, "Who was it, then, who hunted the game and brought it to me? Before you came in, I ate it all and blessed him — and indeed, he will be blessed!" ³⁴ When Esau heard his father's words, he let out a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me too, O my father!" ³⁵ But Isaac replied, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing." ³⁶ So Esau declared, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing." Then he asked, "Haven't you saved a blessing for me?" ³⁷ But Isaac answered Esau: "Look, I have made him your master and given him all his relatives as servants; I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?" ³⁸ Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, O my father!" Then Esau wept aloud. ³⁹ His father Isaac answered him: "Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of heaven above. ⁴⁰ You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck."

³⁰ Now it happened that as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob — Jacob had barely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father — when Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ³¹ He also prepared a savory dish and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, "Let my father rise and eat of his son's game, so that your soul may bless me." ³² Isaac his father said to him, "Who are you?" He said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau." ³³ Then Isaac trembled with a very great trembling and said, "Who then is the one who hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate of it all before you came, and I blessed him? Indeed, he shall be blessed." ³⁴ When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out with a great and exceedingly bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me — me too, my father!" ³⁵ But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken your blessing." ³⁶ Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times: he took my birthright, and now, look, he has taken my blessing." Then he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" ³⁷ Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Look, I have made him master over you, and all his brothers I have given to him as servants; with grain and new wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?" ³⁸ Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me — me too, my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. ³⁹ Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, "See, away from the richness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven above. ⁴⁰ By your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve. But it will be that when you grow restless, you shall tear his yoke from your neck."

Notes

וַיֶּחֱרַד יִצְחָק חֲרָדָה גְּדֹלָה עַד מְאֹד ("Isaac trembled with a very great trembling") — The Hebrew uses the cognate accusative construction (the verb and noun share the same root) intensified by three modifiers: "great," "exceedingly," and "very." The triple intensification marks this as an unusually intense expression of emotion. Isaac does not merely tremble — he is seized with terror. Some interpreters understand this as the moment Isaac realizes he has been fighting against God's revealed will. His trembling may reflect the sudden recognition that the blessing went exactly where God intended it, despite Isaac's attempt to direct it to Esau. The confirmation "Indeed, he shall be blessed" (גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה) is not a resigned acceptance but an acknowledgment that the blessing, once spoken, carries divine authority.
צְעָקָה גְּדֹלָה וּמָרָה עַד מְאֹד ("a great and exceedingly bitter cry") — Esau's cry is described with the same intensity as Isaac's trembling. The word מָרָה ("bitter") is the same root from which Naomi takes her new name in Ruth 1:20. The author of Hebrews references this moment, noting that Esau "found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears" (Hebrews 12:17). The tragedy of Esau is real and deeply felt in the text — the narrator does not minimize his grief even though Esau had earlier despised his birthright (Genesis 25:34).
הֲכִי קָרָא שְׁמוֹ יַעֲקֹב וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי ("Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me") — Esau makes an explicit wordplay on Jacob's name. The name יַעֲקֹב ("Jacob") is related to עָקַב ("to grasp the heel, to supplant, to deceive"). Esau puns bitterly: "He is rightly called 'Supplanter,' for he has supplanted me twice." The first "supplanting" was the birthright purchase (Genesis 25:29-34), though in that case Esau had willingly sold it. The second is the stolen blessing. The name "Jacob" will cling to him until God renames him "Israel" at Peniel (Genesis 32:28).
Isaac's oracle over Esau (vv. 39-40) is often called a "blessing," but it reads more like a prophecy of hardship. The key interpretive question is the Hebrew preposition מִן in v. 39: מִשְׁמַנֵּי הָאָרֶץ can mean either "from the richness of the earth" (partitive — you will share in it) or "away from the richness of the earth" (separative — you will be denied it). The KJV takes it as partitive ("thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth"), while most modern translations take it as separative ("away from the richness"). The separative reading makes better sense in context, since this oracle is meant to contrast with Jacob's blessing. Edom's territory — the rugged, arid mountains southeast of the Dead Sea — fits the description of a land away from agricultural richness.
וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר תָּרִיד וּפָרַקְתָּ עֻלּוֹ מֵעַל צַוָּארֶךָ ("when you grow restless, you shall tear his yoke from your neck") — The verb רוּד means "to roam, wander, rebel, grow restless." Isaac prophesies that Esau's descendants will not remain perpetually subject to Jacob's. Historically, Edom was subject to Israel from the time of David (2 Samuel 8:14) but successfully revolted during the reign of Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20-22), exactly as this oracle predicted.

Interpretations

The irrevocability of Isaac's blessing raises a theological question about the nature of patriarchal blessings:

Sacramental view: Some interpreters see the patriarchal blessing as a quasi-sacramental act — once the words leave the patriarch's mouth, they carry divine power and cannot be recalled. This understanding is rooted in the ancient Near Eastern belief that spoken blessings and curses had inherent power. Isaac's trembling in v. 33 reflects his recognition that he has set in motion something beyond his control.
Providential view: Others emphasize that the blessing's irrevocability is not magical but providential — God ensured that the blessing reached its intended recipient. Isaac's confirmation "indeed, he shall be blessed" is an act of submission to God's revealed will, not resignation to fate. On this reading, Isaac's trembling marks his repentance for trying to circumvent God's purpose.
Hebrews' perspective: The author of Hebrews presents this episode as a warning about spiritual carelessness. Esau is described as "immoral" and "godless" — one who sold his birthright for a single meal and then "found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears" (Hebrews 12:16-17). This has been interpreted variously: some see it as a warning about the irrevocability of certain spiritual decisions, while others note that what Esau sought was the reversal of consequences, not genuine repentance.

Esau's Murderous Intent and Rebekah's Plan (vv. 41-46)

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob." ⁴² When the words of her older son Esau were relayed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob and told him, "Look, your brother Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you. ⁴³ So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. ⁴⁴ Stay with him for a while, until your brother's fury subsides — ⁴⁵ until your brother's rage against you wanes and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" ⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?"

⁴¹ And Esau harbored a grudge against Jacob on account of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are drawing near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." ⁴² But the words of Esau her older son were reported to Rebekah. So she sent and called for Jacob her younger son and said to him, "Look, your brother Esau is comforting himself regarding you — by planning to kill you. ⁴³ So now, my son, listen to my voice: rise up and flee to Laban my brother in Haran. ⁴⁴ Stay with him for a time, until your brother's fury turns away — ⁴⁵ until your brother's anger turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I be bereaved of both of you in a single day?" ⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am disgusted with my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from the Hittite women like these, from the daughters of the land, what good would my life be to me?"

Notes

וַיִּשְׂטֹם עֵשָׂו אֶת יַעֲקֹב ("Esau harbored a grudge against Jacob") — The verb שָׂטַם means "to bear a grudge, harbor hostility." It suggests a sustained, simmering hatred rather than a momentary outburst. The same verb is used of Joseph's brothers' attitude toward him in Genesis 50:15. Esau channels his grief into a plan: he will wait until Isaac dies (respecting the mourning period) and then kill Jacob. Even in his rage, Esau shows a certain restraint — he will not dishonor his father by committing fratricide while Isaac lives. The echo of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:8) is unmistakable: once again, a brother's anger over a lost blessing leads to murderous intent.
מִתְנַחֵם לְךָ לְהָרְגֶךָ ("comforting himself regarding you — by planning to kill you") — The verb נָחַם normally means "to comfort, console." The Hitpael form here is darkly ironic: Esau "consoles himself" with the thought of murder. The word carries an ambiguity — it can also mean "to repent" or "to change one's mind" — but Rebekah clearly understands it as a death threat. The phrase "consoling himself by plotting to kill you" captures the combination of emotional processing and premeditated violence.
יָמִים אֲחָדִים ("a few days") — Rebekah tells Jacob to stay with Laban "a few days" until Esau's fury passes. The phrase is bitterly ironic in retrospect: Jacob's "few days" will stretch into twenty years (Genesis 31:38-41). Rebekah's promise — "I will send for you and bring you back" — is never fulfilled. As far as the text tells us, she never sees her son again.
לָמָה אֶשְׁכַּל גַּם שְׁנֵיכֶם יוֹם אֶחָד ("Why should I be bereaved of both of you in a single day?") — Rebekah fears losing both sons: Jacob to Esau's violence, and Esau to the blood-avenger's justice (if Esau killed Jacob, he would face retribution). The verb שָׁכַל means "to be bereaved of children" — a mother's deepest fear. The same word describes Rachel's grief in Jeremiah 31:15 and Jacob's own fear of losing his sons in Genesis 43:14.
Verse 46 reveals Rebekah's diplomatic skill. She does not tell Isaac the real reason Jacob must leave (Esau's death threat) — perhaps because Isaac favored Esau and might not cooperate. Instead, she frames the departure around the acceptable concern of intermarriage with Hittite women, building on Esau's marriages that had already been "a source of grief" to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34-35). This strategic framing prompts Isaac to send Jacob away willingly in Genesis 28:1-5 with a formal blessing, rather than as a fleeing fugitive. Rebekah remains the strategist throughout.
בְּנוֹת חֵת ("daughters of Heth/Hittite women") — These are the local Canaanite women. "Heth" was a son of Canaan (Genesis 10:15), and the "daughters of Heth" represent the broader Canaanite population. The danger of intermarriage with Canaanites is a recurring concern in Genesis (cf. Genesis 24:3, Genesis 26:34-35) — it threatened the distinctive identity and faith of the covenant family. Rebekah's disgust is genuine even if her timing is strategic.